


X and O

by Saveourskinship



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Adult Hermione Granger, Break ups and make ups, Description of Implied Sexual Assault, Dialogue Heavy, Draco Malfoy & Harry Potter Friendship, Draco Sleeps With Married Women, Fluff and Smut, Harry Potter Epilogue What Epilogue | EWE, Hermione Granger & Harry Potter Friendship, Hermione is a Honey Trap, Multi, Poly Hermione, Redeemed Draco Malfoy, S&M, Slow Burn, Slutty Draco, Voyeurism, description of torture
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-19
Updated: 2021-01-31
Packaged: 2021-03-10 04:46:56
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, No Archive Warnings Apply, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 25
Words: 134,799
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27627674
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Saveourskinship/pseuds/Saveourskinship
Summary: After a tragedy two years ago that caused Hermione Granger to leave England, she's asked to come back by the Minister for Magic to help reign in a terrorist faction wreaking havoc in the wizarding and Muggle worlds. Working with Harry again is great! Working with Draco Malfoy though... that's a whole other story.Actually it's not, it's this story.
Relationships: Harry Potter/Ginny Weasley, Hermione Granger/Draco Malfoy
Comments: 80
Kudos: 130





	1. Chapter One

**Author's Note:**

> All copyrights belong to J. K. Rowling, this work is for fun not fortune.
> 
> I stand for trans rights, I strongly disagree with the recent comments made by Ms. Rowling.
> 
> _I will be changing my update times again and will be placing this story on a brief hiatus. I have a specific way I want this story to play out but I'm going through some darkness right now and can only seem to write dark. Once I find a bit more light I will return to this and make sure to continue this the way the characters deserve. I'm sorry!_

The Minister for Magic strode through the halls of the Auror Department looking for the door he needed. Reaching it, he knocked.

"Yes?" the occupant said. "Oh, hello, Kingsley. What can I do for you?"

"Harry." Kingsley started. " I’m sorry, but you know it's only gotten worse, we have to call her back."

Harry Potter leaned in his chair and sighed, rubbing his forehead with one hand and fiddling with his quill in the other.

"She's not going to like it, sir." Harry sighed. "We promised her three years, it's been just over two, are you sure it's necessary? This issue may need her back for good, not just a quick in and out deal."

"I know, but we definitely need her. As soon as possible, preferably. Tell her it will be at least six months, maybe even a year for this one. We can possibly renegotiate her leave once it is over."

Harry leaned on his desk heavily. He really didn't want to do this. After everything that had happened, he knew she needed to be away. "What if she says no?" he enquired, looking up at the Minister again.

Kingsley Shacklebolt smiled. "She won't. If that woman is anything, it is loyal. She's our best and that’s what we need. I'll expect you to come to my office with her answer by tomorrow."

The Minister left and Harry picked up the call mirror from the side of his desk. He toyed with it, procrastinating on the task. It had been eight months since he'd last seen her in Prague for his birthday where she had taken him on a bar crawl that had ended a day and a half later than when they had started. He had woken up in a different town outside the city with her and a flamboyant guy named Gregor in the centre of a traffic island. Absinthe had taken over in the hours before this and most of it was now a blur, but he knew it had been brilliant. He laughed a little at the memory. Even with a direct order from the Minister, how could he ask her to leave?

She'd grown up so much in the nearly ten years since Hogwarts, but they were still the best of friends. They had all matured and other people had moved on and lost touch, but she was always there, listening to him moan about work as he lived vicariously through her when she recited her latest adventures in the newest country she had frequented.

He tapped the mirror and said, " _Carpe noctem_ ". Seize the night. It was 3pm in London, and he calculated that meant it was around 12am in Seoul where she currently lived. He hoped she was still up, but, then again, her call signal wasn't that particular Latin phrase for nothing.

Almost 9,000 kilometres away, Hermione rolled over her bed to pick up the mirror that was trilling with a call. "HARRY!" she grinned brightly after connecting. Harry smiled back at her. She was on her stomach on the bed, a black dressing gown falling off her bare shoulder, a pink slip covering the rest of her. The room was dimly lit and he could see someone sitting on the opposite edge slipping a white T-shirt over their head.

"Sorry, bad timing?" Harry asked.

"Not at all. I was just hanging out with my friend. Jun-ki, come say hi." She sat up, bringing over the mirror for Harry to see a handsome Seoul-ite looking at him through the glass. Hermione was so good at making friends now. She conversed in Korean to Jun-ki quickly and Harry heard her mention his name.

Jun-ki exclaimed in Korean pointing at his forehead. Hermione nodded. Jun-ki gaped at the mirror.

"Yep,” Harry said laughing, pointing to his scar with an amused smile.

Jun-ki waved at him saying in well-pronounced, but accented English, "Hello, Harry Potter!”

Hermione made the mirror focus back on her. She laughed. "Sorry, Harry, but he's such a huge fan. He's going to go out and tell all his friends now."

He was glad Jun-ki had exited the apartment since they would probably be going into confidential territory soon. Harry smiled again to see his friend so happy. It faded when he remembered what he was calling for.

"Oh, no," Hermione said, "What's wrong? Is it -"

She couldn’t finish the sentence, looking panicked and Harry hurriedly made to smooth it over. "No, Ron's fine. Just the same as always, but there is something," he said, glancing away from the mirror, not being able to meet her eyes.

"But everyone's fine? Ginny? And Neville? Luna? The Weasleys?"

"All fine." Harry replied, "I'm sorry Hermione. I don't want to have to do this, but Kingsley was just in here and..." there was a pause.

"And you need me to come back." Hermione stated. She looked put out, but inhaled quickly and pulled on her business face. "How long for? I'm assuming it will need to be immediately or you wouldn't look so guilty." She stuck her tongue out at him playfully and he could see her making wandless gestures around her room, most likely packing everything already. Although she had changed, some things were just inherently a part of someone and one of those for Hermione was being organized.

"A year." Harry said softly, unable to look at her again. The soft scraping of moving objects heard through the mirror stopped. "Well, Kingsley said six months initially, but for what we’re dealing with, I think a year is more reasonable."

Hermione sighed. "Oh well. Back to the real world, huh?" she smiled for Harry, but he knew it wasn't reaching her eyes.

"If you want your freedom, then you have to stop being so bloody brilliant." Harry joked, trying to lighten the mood.

Hermione laughed at that and tossed her hair with mocking confidence. "I AM pretty amazing, aren't I?"

Harry snorted, but got serious again. "You don't have to do that with me, just be real. Are you OK?."

Hermione ran a hand through the top of her hair. "Yeah,” she scrunched up her face. “Do you think everyone will accept me?” Her style had morphed while being overseas, going from girl next-door to elegant and sultry. It sometimes even took Harry by surprise.

“Of course, just because I was shocked doesn’t mean everyone will be,” Harry assured her.

Hermione laughed again. "'Hermione! There's so much of you!’ That’s what you said when you first came out to meet me in Australia." Hermione continued her amusement and laughed harder at her own terrible, overdone impression of his greeting her. It had been 36 degrees Celsius and she had been in a crop tank top and short shorts.

Harry chuckled, too at the memory. Hermione had changed, certainly, but her character remained the same and he loved his friend very much, he was looking forward to her being in close proximity again.

Hermione's laughs died down as she continued packing up. "Wait a tick and I'll send off a message to let people know I won't be here anymore."

"OK," Harry said. "What about Jun-ki? Do you need to find him for a proper goodbye? Was he a boyfriend?"

"Are any of them?" Hermione answered casually, writing out a note and attaching it to the magicked origami crane she had bought in Osaka. Much more practical than an owl when she was constantly travelling.

Hermione opened her wardrobe and said to the mirror hanging on the inside of the door, "Mirror, clothes for London, please. " There was a rustle before she continued, "Ooh, good choice! I'm going to miss you." She stroked the surface of it and closed the closet again. Harry now saw that she was dressed in jeans tucked into some heeled brown boots and a fluffy white jumper with a large checked scarf draping her shoulders. She took her wand off the bed stand and waved at the trunk with it. Harry heard a thump in his office and saw it arrive there, next moment Hermione materialised, having used the mirror as transport via a tricky little charm she had hooked up to Harry's call mirror. She stepped out of the glass and Harry stood up, walking around the large desk, the smile on his face widening. They hugged tightly, swaying on their feet a bit.

"Oh, it's so good to see you properly, Harry. I missed you." Hermione pushed him back by his shoulders to give him an appraisal. "Ginny's been taking good care of you I see."

"Of course," Harry said. He felt bad for Hermione that she had to cut her trip short, but he couldn't hide how excited he was to see her in the flesh. He reached his hand to touch her upper arm, "You sure you're OK with this though?"

Hermione pouted her bottom lip a bit, but an excited smirk came across it almost immediately. "I will probably miss it in the days to come, but right now I am just so happy to be here and to see everyone. Can we go to The Burrow and surprise them all? It's Friday so it should be family dinner, right?"

"Yes," Harry said, "it starts at 6:00pm and Ginny was going to meet me there. It works out perfectly."

"I'm organized even in moments of spontaneity!" Hermione joked. 

"Why did you use that mirror before when I know you can choose nice outfits for yourself?" Harry asked.

"Well, the mirror chooses the clothes for me and knows what looks best, and what’s best for the current weather. I’d have to imagine all this myself," Hermione explained. "The Koreans have really done some amazing things in regards to combining computer software and magic."

Hermione and Harry walked down the hall to the larger Floo fireplaces in the Ministry Atrium since her trunk couldn't fit into the one in Harry's office and she planned on staying at The Burrow tonight at least.

It felt just like old times to Harry with Hermione, her eyes shining with knowledge and passion seeping all the way to her expressive hand gestures as she talked about the innovations she had found throughout the Asian leg of her world tour. Things always intensified when Hermione was around and he was glad for it.

Rounding a corner, they bumped into someone familiar.

"Potter, leaving already?" Harry nodded his head in greeting to his colleague. "Should I just leave these reports on your desk then?"

"Go ahead." Harry said, cordially.

The man nodded and passed by, barely registering Harry's guest. As he walked away from them, he heard the woman say, "Was that _Draco Malfoy_?" he slowed his steps a little and pricked his ears. Luckily, they still had a fair expanse of hallway to go before he wouldn't be able to hear them.

"Yes, it is and no, you can't," Harry told the woman.

That was all he could hear clearly before he stepped into Potter’s office.

"But-" Hermione said, she hadn't seen him for about four years and the man was hot. Had he always been hot and she not noticed? Yes, she supposed he had. She'd been too busy disliking him intensely.

"You have to be on your very best behaviour." Harry interrupted. He could see she was attracted to their old classmate and they had let go of all their old prejudices regarding school long ago. "You will be working with him on this. He's been a major asset to our department, you can't complicate it."

"Ooh, Harry got bossy!" Hermione sassed back at him. "Maybe I finally rubbed off on you."

"Shut up," Harry said, as they rounded the corner.

Draco heard their laughter fade out and opened up Harry's office door and stepped inside, dropping the files off before he continued working. So Hermione Granger was back. He had joined the Ministry after she had left to do... whatever she had done. A library world tour or something. That was very Granger-like. He sighed. Recalling their conversation, it seemed like she was still not over how he had bullied her at school. It would probably require another humiliating apology from him to try and smooth things over. Even with Harry asking her to not make their working life complicated, he doubted she'd be able to overlook everything he'd done to her. He closed his eyes and leaned back in his chair, annoyed.

Deciding he would think about the complications of her return on Monday, he Floo'd home. He had just poured himself a drink after hearing the satisfying pop of the whisky bottle's cork when he heard a knock on his door. Placing the bottle on the kitchen counter, he walked through the living room into the entryway, "Who is it?" he called, scuffing slippered feet on the wooden beams.

"It's me, hurry up."

Draco opened the door up and leaned against the frame, keeping an arm on the top of it. He looked good like that, and he knew it without needing to watch the woman's eyes follow the line of his body.

"Pansy, to what do I owe the pleasure," he said, sardonically.

"Oh fuck off, Draco," Pansy said, pushing past him and walking inside.

She went into the lounge trailing clothes: scarf, coat, shoes, hitting the floor haphazardly before she headed to the kitchen. She poured herself a whisky from the opened bottle and gulped it in one go.

"Hey, that's a 25 year old, you can't just chug it like that," Draco growled at her.

She just narrowed her eyes and poured another before stalking into his bedroom. He got another glass and put away his single malt in favour of a grittier blended whisky. He poured a generous portion and downed it, cheeks bulging with liquid before he swallowed. Bracing himself against the counter, he shook his head quickly then followed her in.

"Come on," Pansy said, expressing her irritation at his lack of urgency, taking off her underwear and lying on his bed, propped up on an elbow waiting for him.

He undressed, too, and lowered himself over her. Cupping her breast with a hand he lowered his mouth to her neck while she stroked him to a full erection. Bracing himself on his forearm while gripping the back of her neck with his hand, he brought his mouth to her nipple and licked roughly in the way she liked. Hearing her pant already, his other hand rubbed her clit, applying just the right amount of pressure.

As always, after a few minutes of this, Pansy moaned and said, "Now, Draco, do it now."

He raised himself above her and slid in, knowing the angle she liked and putting himself there while she snaked a hand between them to continue the movements on her bud. Their actions were practised and they easily came after some minutes of his calculated thrusting. She came first and him soon afterwards. Draco rolled off her doing a quick wandless spell to clean up any mess.

Pansy grabbed her whisky glass again and sipped it, looking absently at the other side of the room. Draco lay back and stared at the ceiling. Will she want to talk tonight or will she just go? Judging by how she was nursing that drink, he figured it would be the former.

"What was the fight about this time?" he asked, hoping to get this out of the way so he could have some solitude.

"He doesn't like me touching myself while we fuck," Pansy said.

Draco sat up on his elbows, this was new information.

"What?" he said, "How could he not enjoy that?"

"Because he can't do it right," Pansy sighed, "and he says it makes him feel inadequate if I do it myself," she scowled at that.

"Have you tried to teach him?" Draco asked.

"Of course I have," Pansy spat back. "But he doesn't do it instinctively like you do."

"I didn't always. Remember how much we had to experiment at school?" Draco smirked.

Pansy was silent for a bit before saying, "You're right."

"Your husband needs to able to do these things, Pans, and men aren't fucking mind readers you know." Draco sighed and rolled his eyes just wanting her out. "You should probably stop coming here every time you argue, I doubt it helps."

Pansy snorted, "Don't flatter yourself, you don't figure in my marriage at all, we're just-"

Draco cut her off, "We just fuck, I know. It's pretty paint-by-numbers, too."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Pansy said, a warning tone to her voice.

Draco grunted, annoyed now. "Don't get mad with me. You know just as much as I do that this is routine and gets us where we need to go but does nothing else."

Pansy was silent again, but agreed with a nod of her head. "I'll get going," she said, swinging her legs over the side of the bed and dressing.

Draco stayed where he was until he heard his door shut and felt the wards snap back into place.

He sighed again before pulling on his boxers and walking to the kitchen to finally savour the single malt Pansy had sullied with her terrible drinking habits.

He collapsed on the couch with the beverage and stared off into the middle space thinking what he wouldn't give to be surprised by someone in bed. It seemed to have been a long time since he felt that tug, that desire that was carnal in need and hot with tension.

Draco went to bed that night wondering that for all the fucking he did, was any of it actually good?

He was just dropping off when he remembered a repeated sentence from earlier in the night "Was that _Draco Malfoy_?"

He grunted and turned over, he'd forgotten all about Granger and her outburst, like she couldn't believe he was there at the Ministry. He thumped the pillow, mad that he would have to apologise to yet another person. He'd spent a lot of time these past two years proving himself and he enjoyed the intensity his position required. Providing information on the trade of Dark artefacts was something only he could do, being connected to many people in such business. 

Yes, he would have to smooth things over with goody-two-shoes Granger if he wanted to stay on this case and he'd be damned if someone like her would be the thing to kick him off it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I started this story so long ago when I was really depressed. I have reworked it, but it is still very self-indulgent, for that I apologise. But in the year of 2020 I think we've all needed a little self-indulgence.
> 
> The POV changes between Hermione and Draco quite often and a suspension of belief is encouraged.
> 
> Thank you for reading.


	2. Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Weasley family dinner time.

Harry arrived on the doorstep of the Weasley’s house while Hermione hid around the corner. They had Floo’d to Harry’s first to pick up some things for the dinner before Apparating to The Burrow. Harry had to compose himself before knocking since Hermione kept pulling funny faces at him from the dim of the roof eaves at the corner.

“Harry, dear, is that you?” Mrs. Weasley beamed as she headed over to open up.

“Yeah, it is,” Harry called back, stepping through the threshold of the house and hugging his future mother-in-law. There was a chorus of “Harry”’s! as he stepped further in, waving and smiling at the people surrounding the room. Percy sat with his head in a book by the fire, acknowledging Harry with a nod before delving back into it, Ginny and George had matching aprons on and had evidently been causing havoc in the kitchen. Ginny winked at her fiancée and George waved a spatula at him. Mr. Weasley was watching the pair of them with twinkling eyes, nursing a drink in his hand, Neville was also here today, talking to Luna about something that had Neville looking sceptical, but Luna adamant. Harry scoped all this quickly and was glad Neville and Luna were there since Hermione would love to see them as well.

“How was work today?” Ginny called out of the kitchen.

“It was good,” Harry answered. “I actually brought someone with me.”

Hermione began to creep around to enter the door from her hiding place, but she heard the occupants yelling out, “Dracooooo!”

She stepped through, “Draco?” she questioned.

There was pandemonium. Everyone left what they were doing to surround her and Ginny had somehow got there first and was hugging her tight, screaming in her ear. Harry was blatantly laughing at the spectacle. She caught his eye and grinned, happy to be with all the people she had missed so much.

Mrs. Weasley was wiping her eyes, having burst into tears to see Hermione back, encompassing her in a hug from the front. Mr. Weasley was patting her shoulder from behind and Percy was clutching her hand and pumping it hard.

Luna and Neville were hugging the people surrounding Hermione rather than Hermione herself, but it hardly mattered since the sentiment mattered most, and there were sure to be individual greetings throughout the evening anyway.

George came last, barrelling through everyone and succeeded in picking her up and twirling her around.

Setting her down in the centre of the circle, Hermione lifted her arms and shrugged saying, “Well, I’m back!” This elicited more screaming and crying and hugging until Hermione had to beg for her breath back.  
“Come sit down, dear,” Molly gestured. “Are you staying for good? Oh, Hermione, I can’t believe you’re really here!”

Everyone was silent, waiting for her response.

“It seems like I am,” Hermione replied, a smile ghosting her face when this received a positive response from the gathered crowd.

Everyone broke off into separate groups to continue what they were doing, but the mood was elevated with her presence. Hermione loved how she was always welcome here and that things fell into place so easily.

“Molly, I was hoping to stay here a few days as I get settled if that’s alright?” she asked the motherly witch.

Mrs. Weasley sent her a look of mock disapproval. “Hermione, you know you needn’t even ask.”

Hermione smiled at the woman, taking her hand and squeezing it, knowing this would show her gratitude more than she could express verbally.

“Now,” she addressed the middle of the room, “Why did you all call ‘Dracoooo’ before I came through?”

“He comes by for dinner sometimes,” Neville replied to her, his eyes shining with happiness at seeing his friend again. “Harry brings him.”

Hermione turned to Harry for confirmation on this.

Harry shrugged in response, sipping from a Butterbeer Ginny had provided him with, “He doesn’t have much family anymore and I feel like this environment is good for him.”

Hermione nodded, agreeing completely.

George came out of the kitchen again with a fluorescently-glowing glass with miniature fireworks popping out of it. Hermione giggled, accepting it, “What is this exactly, George?” she asked, waggling her eyebrows, knowing this particular Weasley would find the best way to welcome her back would be with a well-placed prank or two.

“Relax, it’s your favourite Sauvignon Blanc wine, but with my, you know, own brand of magic.”

Hermione sipped it, the fireworks tickling her face. “Now, open your mouth,” George instructed her.

She did so and a chirping, “Welcome back, Hermione!” sounded across the room.

Everyone laughed and Hermione clapped her appreciation to George who took some bows.

“Back to the previous conversation,” George continued, “Draco insists that we call him Malfoy, so whenever he comes by we all shout-“

“Dracooooo!” the chorus yelled, prompted by George’s conducting.

Hermione laughed, even Percy had joined in on it.

“Of course I don’t, though,” Mrs. Weasley sniffed.

“No, Mum,” Ginny snorted, “but you do call him ‘Malfoy, dear,’ and I think he dislikes that even more.”

Hermione almost sprayed her wine out her nose at this. She was happy to see nothing had changed here, apart, apparently, from the addition of Malfoy.

“So what’s the deal there?” Hermione asked, looking at Harry for clarification.

“Draco lost his parents in the, ah, incident before you left,” Harry said, awkwardly.

Hermione paused, looking down for a moment of melancholy before glancing back up. “So he comes by often? Do you guys hang out at work?”

“He’s a very capable wizard, and we work together well. I manage to bully him into coming here about once a month, but he hasn’t changed so much that he’s completely relaxed around us.”

“But we’re wearing him down!” George exclaimed excitedly, “I swear, he alllllmost laughed when I made that exploding pie last week.”

“That was not funny, George,” Mrs. Weasley replied hotly. “Completely blew through all the ceilings and let the ghoul out of the attic. It took forever to rein him back in!”

Hermione laughed again. Things never changed.

Ginny had come to sit beside Hermione, resting her head casually on her friends’ shoulder. “Malfoy used part of his inheritance to set up all these charity programs. Re-integrating Squibs back into the magical community, raising awareness of prejudice against anyone who isn’t pureblood, he even reconciled Mum with her second cousin, the accountant,” she whispered close to Hermione, “It was a bit of unrecognised prejudice from Mum and the other Prewett’s, there. Also, he had been a bit of a git. It’s all good now though, you’ll probably meet him at Christmas, his daughter Mafalda is actually a witch!”

Hermione thought about all this new information. Even though she didn’t care for the pale, horrible boy Malfoy had been at Hogwarts, it was certainly nice to know that the person she would be working with on this case had reformed. She would make sure to be very friendly to make sure he knew she harboured no ill feelings from back then.

“You were last in Korea, right?” Ginny asked her excitedly, “What was it like? Were the guys hot?” her best girlfriend asked with interest. Even though her and Harry had gotten back together last year and quickly become engaged afterwards, Hermione knew that mischievous and flirty spark in Ginny would probably never die.

“Oh, Gin, you have no idea,” Hermione smirked in response, launching into some stories, remembering to keep them within the family-friendly realm though. She omitted her dalliances, it might pain Molly and Arthur to hear her talking about them. Harry smiled at her from the other side of the room.

Dinner at The Burrow was spectacular; George had charmed the cheesecake dessert to animate itself. The body of the dish created itself a pair of arms and made snowballs out of the cream before throwing them at the diners. It soon devolved into a small scale food fight with the witches and wizards trying to recharm their slices into only aiming at George, the creator of chaos.

“So, how are Bill and Fleur? Little Victoire doing OK?” Hermione asked Mr. Weasley.

“All are doing well,” he said, a proud look on his face. “Charlie is still with his dragons, but he’s travelled to China for it now.”

“China, really?” Hermione said. “How long ago did that happen?”

“Just a few months,” Arthur continued. “Did you go through there?”

“Briefly, but I never stayed long,” Hermione replied.

There was a brief pause and Hermione looked down at her plate, pushing the remains of the food around. She wasn’t sure if she wanted to broach this next subject. “How- um, how’s Ron?”

Mr. Weasley looked at her sadly; she looked uncomfortable like she wasn’t sure how he’d react to her question.

“Hermione, it’s OK. Just go visit him, he’ll want to see you,” he said.

She looked up at him, tears brimming, but she wouldn’t let them fall. “Thanks, Arthur,” she said softly, “I will. When I’m ready.”

Hermione was able to chat to everyone there and promised both Luna and Neville lunches later in the week once she had settled in at the Ministry. Everyone had imbibed a lot and as people started making their way home, Mrs. Weasley insisted they all use the Floo Network which was less risky than accidentally splinching themselves while Apparating home. Percy, Neville, and Luna left all around the same time. George was the last to leave, sneaking in another hug to Hermione before disappearing home.

Ginny and Harry were canoodling in a corner and Hermione was glad to see them look so happy. After the Battle of Hogwarts, they had gotten together again, but youthful indolence had got in the way and after a year or so they were just fighting all the time. They broke up and matured separately for a while. It was actually after Harry had visited her in Prague that they had gotten back together again. She remembered him sitting on a bar stool and saying how much he missed Ginny and that he was finally in a place where he could sustain a long term relationship. “I want to marry her, Hermione! It’s always been her,” he’d sloshed out drunkenly.

She had stroked his hair and patted his shoulder, “When you go back, go visit her and just kiss her. Just grab her and kiss her. She’s single now, right?” Hermione had answered, miming what her words were trying to put across.

“Yeah, she’s single,” Harry mumbled. “So just kiss her?” he slurred.

“Mm. You’re bad when you talk,” Hermione slumped on the bar.

“Ha, Hermione. I think you might be drunk.”

“Noooooo, not even a little,” Hermione pushed his shoulder.

“Right then,” Harry said, sitting up. “Barman, Absinthe!”

“Absinthe!” Hermione had echoed and that was probably when the night had devolved.

She smiled at the memory. Harry told her that he had done just that when he got back to London. 

“Hermione! You didn’t tell me what to do afterwards!” he told her in a panic through the mirror.

“So what DID you do?” she’d asked.

“I bloody ran.” Harry said eyes wide and panicked.

“What! Go back there! Right now!” Hermione had ordered. “You just turned up and kissed her and ran away? Go back and say what you told me, ‘Ginny, you’re it, you’ve always been it. Let’s try again.’ OK?”

“OK.”

“Now go, you idiot!”

And that had been all that was needed. Ginny had sent her an owl later that week to tell her that they were official again. It had helped that Hermione had both sides pining for the other, telling her their woes. Ginny had even told her that she wished Harry would just turn up on her doorstep. Hermione had made that come true, even if it was much more awkward in person than in the imagination. They had been solid ever since, getting engaged at their six month celebration. When you know, you just know and they figured there was no point waiting too long.

Back in the present, Ginny was trying to persuade Harry to go back and stay in their home and not at The Burrow.

“Please, Harry,” she said, batting her lids. “I want to have a girls’ night with her. It’s been over two years, I need this!”

“OK,” Harry conceded. He had caught Hermione’s eye earlier and seen her nod at him. “I will need to pick her up at lunchtime to go to Kingsley though,” he warned the girls with a pointed finger.

Ginny had her hands clutched together and was nodding crazily, Hermione placed her arms in the surrender position and said, “Yes, I promise I will be ready,”

“All right,” Harry said, turning to the fireplace. He kissed Ginny sweetly on the lips and ran a hand over her hair looking relaxed and happy, before leaving. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley had already gone to bed, so it was just Ginny and Hermione having a glass of wine in their pyjamas. They sat opposite each other with their legs resting side-by-side on one of the comfortable couches.

“It’s so good to see you, Gin, it really is. I can’t believe it never worked out for you to come visit me.”

“I know, right?” Ginny said. “I was always so busy with tournaments or practice, the contract for the team didn’t leave much wiggle room for holidays.”

“I can imagine,” Hermione said, smiling at her friend. “I’m happy to see that you and Harry look blissful together.”

Ginny couldn’t contain her grin. “It’s been wonderful. It’s so different this time. We grew up, I suppose, we work through problems together instead being noble idiots. Harry doesn’t push me away anymore when he’s going through something and I have a lot more patience than I used to. I can see his side and not just blow up over wounded pride.”

“It’s good to see,” Hermione said. “Gives us singles hope.”

Ginny laughed, but turned serious suddenly. “Harry told me. About that time.”

Hermione stopped smiling, looking at her friend warily. Ginny stared back at her, eyes honest but with no bad feelings in them. Hermione relaxed and decided she just wanted clarification and that she could do.

“In Australia?” Hermione asked her and Ginny nodded, relieved that her friend understood her intentions. “We had got horribly drunk that night. we were at this kinda cool, kinda divey bar in Melbourne and it was so hot that summer. We found a random fountain in the courtyard of the place and at first we were just sitting on the edge, dangling our feet in the water, but then he said something dumb and so I splashed him and he splashed me back. It turned into a bit of a water fight and...” she trailed off making sure her friend wanted her to continue.

“Go on,” Ginny said, a small smile on her face as she topped up their wine.

Hermione took a generous sip. “Well, we had stood up by that point using our hands for maximum water drenching. Then I slipped a bit and Harry caught me, it was just an instinctive grab, but I ended up really close to him, you know. It was just one of those moments, I looked up and he was right there, and we’d been having so much fun and the alcohol... it just happened. We kissed.”

Hermione cringed a bit, but Ginny looked fine. Her eyebrows were raised, as she sipped her own wine, but it was in surprise, not shock and suddenly she laughed. “Sorry, it’s just kind of weird to picture that.”

Hermione relaxed and laughed, too. “That’s how we felt afterwards, too. We broke apart and started laughing. I think we just wanted to see if things had changed now we were older. It became very obvious that there was nothing there and thank Merlin, really! That would have been so awkward. So... you’re really OK?”

“That, you like, kissed my boyfriend?” Ginny mocked, a grin spreading over her face. “Hermione, come on, you’re my best friend and his best friend. It was a moment, but I’m pretty confident where we’re at. I just wanted to hear your version since Harry’s was just, ‘We kissed! It wasn’t anything, I swear! I love you?’ “ Hermione snorted into her glass at Ginny’s spot-on impression of how she pictured Harry admitting to it.

“OK, kisses for kisses time!” Hermione said, happy this was not going to affect her friendship. “I heard you and our dear friend, Viktor had a bit of a thing? Any truth to that rumour?” Hermione smirked as her friend blushed a little recounting her days of singledom.

“Well, his talents certainly don’t end on the Quidditch pitch do they?” Ginny giggled.

The girls drank for several more hours and before Hermione knew it, they had fallen asleep on the couch.

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've never published a long form story before here. I'll try make sure the chapter lengths are around equal. Almost uploaded one three times as long. 
> 
> Comments and feedback very welcome. 
> 
> Thank you for reading.


	3. Three

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hermione finds out why she's been asked back.

It was several hours before she felt herself being shaken awake by someone.

“Wake up, ‘Mione,” Harry said quietly.

Ginny and Hermione blinked awkwardly in the sunshine blazing through the curtains. “Crap, is it lunchtime already? And I promised you!” Hermione panicked.

“Calm down,” Harry said. “I came a couple of hours early. I thought you girls would want some fresh coffee and pancakes.”

“Best fiancée ever.” Ginny said, gratefully taking a coffee from Harry’s carrier and kissing his cheek.

Leaving the second coffee for Hermione on the table, Harry went into the kitchen and began preparing their breakfast.

Eating with Ginny and Harry, Hermione was content with the familiarity of the domestic scene and it wasn’t long before the smell made Molly and Arthur come down to join them, helping themselves to the stack Harry had left on the kitchen counter. Hermione checked her charmed watch and saw they still had an hour before they were needed at the Ministry. 

She excused herself from the table, heading upstairs to the room Mrs. Weasley had put her in. It was Ron’s old room, still with the Chudley Cannons everywhere and she sat on the orange bedspread, running a hand over it. She looked at the wizard photos of the three of them laughing in their Hogwarts robes and another of his entire family around the dinner table one Christmas after the war, she watched as the picture of Ron had put an arm around her shoulders and kissed her cheek. She had looked so young and innocent then. So naive that everything would be absolutely fine now that Voldemort was gone. She placed the photo face down on the sidetable.

She sighed and rose to get some clothes out of her trunk, finding some that were more conservative than her taste now but still looked OK. She settled on a puff-sleeve off-the-shoulder blouse and a midi skirt. Coming back in a towel once her shower was done. 

Opening her trunk again, she took out a compartment filled with her lingerie. She’d become rather attached to her lingerie. What she wore underneath her more modest appearance was a secret she kept from the world. It gave her confidence, and she loved the thrill of feeling ever so slightly naughty wherever she was. She needed it now more than ever, while she was willing to help, she longed for her freedom again. The awe of discovery that travelling gave her simply couldn’t be replaced and she wondered how long the yearning gnaw in her would remain.

She chose a black lace strapless bra with matching knickers, both very sexy and looked amazing on. Deciding it wasn’t far enough though, she chose some flesh-coloured pantyhose and slid the silk up her legs before putting on a black garter belt to hold them up. Looking at herself in the mirror, she felt deliciously enticing and sexy; it helped her get into the mood she would need for this project. She expected whatever she was back for will probably involve some undercover work. She put on the blouse and skirt, adding a blazer since he would be seeing the Minister for Magic.

She ran down the stairs back to where Harry was waiting. “I’m not sure when I’ll be back, but let me cook dinner for the two of you, OK?” Hermione said to the Weasleys.

“That would be lovely, dear,” Molly smiled at her.

“Ready to go?” Harry said.

“Yep,” Hermione replied, turning back to him.

Ginny followed them out to kiss Harry good-bye and whispered a few things in his ear that Hermione thought were probably sultry promises for later on as compensation for their girls’ night. The grin on Harry’s face as he turned back to her all but confirmed this.

They Apparated to just outside the Ministry where they used one of the secret entrances. “I think we should just go directly to Kingsley,” Harry said. “He’ll want to get started on this as soon as possible.”

“Sounds good,” said Hermione getting onto the elevator with him. Harry pushed the button they needed and the lift headed up. “So, Ginny asked me about our kiss last night.”

Harry raised his eyebrows and cleared his throat awkwardly. “I thought she might, she kept bugging me for details. She doesn’t seem mad about it though, does she?”

“No, she was fine with it. I think she believes we have negative sexual chemistry.”

Harry laughed at that. “Well, that’s good, I hope you don’t mind that I told her.”

“No, I’m glad we were able to talk about it,” Hermione said, with a grin. 

The elevator dinged and they headed to the Minister’s office, even though it was the weekend, Kingsley had wanted to meet them anyway.

Knocking and hearing the deep baritone within say, “Yes?” the pair entered.

Kingsley Shacklebolt sat behind the desk going over some reports and looked up to see Harry bring in Hermione Granger. He smiled, “Hermione, lovely to see you again. Thank you for cutting your trip short to help us with this.”

“No worries, I’m happy to help,” Hermione said, smiling politely as she took the seat offered to her.

Kingsley looked relieved by her presence. “To be honest, I didn’t expect you yet. I thought Harry would just let me know what you had said to our request.”

“Well, I don’t like long goodbyes, so I came as soon as Harry asked really.” Hermione shrugged.

“Good to hear,” Kingsley said, looking over at her. “Settling in OK?”

“I’m staying at the Weasleys for the moment but Ginny said she may be able to help me find a place.”

“Good. I’ll make sure all the proper precautions are in place under pseudonyms etcetera. You are still OK with this kind of work?”

“Yes,” Hermione replied confidently. “I know the risks, but I’m smart and Harry always has my back to extricate me if needed.”

“I assume he’s caught you up on everything?” Kingsley asked, but frowned when the two friends looked at each other with guilt.

“Um, not exactly,” Harry started, “we kind of got sidetracked.”

Kingsley sighed, but couldn’t begrudge them too much. It was a heavy burden to ask her back at all, they were allowed some fun before getting serious.

Hermione leaned forward concentrating on the Minister. “What are we dealing with?” she asked.

“Dark artefacts smuggling, really,” Kingsley said. “But this ring is bad. They have been circulating old items of Voldemort’s and other dark wizards, distributing them and planting them in public Muggle places which have caused many deaths.”

“Like the terrorist attack where Scotland Yard couldn’t find any sort of explosive or device?”

“Yes, that was a particularly bad one. 15 Muggles dead and two of our own who had rushed to try and stop it. Too late it turns out. Malfoy was furious at what he deemed his failure for that.”

“Malfoy...” Hermione said, sitting back. “I’m hearing that name a lot.”

“You will hear it even more soon. You and he will be working in the same team on this. There will be no problems, right? I know there have been some... incidents... with him in the past, but he works well with Harry and has integrated himself well at the Ministry.”

“He pretty much Snape’s for us,” Harry added, using their old professor as a verb for being a double agent. “He’s working as a contractor, an expert in dark artifacts. Very few people know that he is actually working with us to bring down the ring. He’s our in, already has a bunch of contacts within the criminal chain and can get you into the parties. He’s very good at what he does.”

Hermione nodded in understanding. “I trust Harry, I have no qualms about working with Malfoy,” she told Kingsley.

“Good to know. OK, so the ringleader of this group in London is a man calling himself Eddie Le Roux. He’s from a French faction that worked with Voldemort during his reign. He has been recruiting like-minded people to his side over here and while we know this, we haven’t been able to make any solid connections to him from the attacks.”

“He’s sneaky,” Harry said. “But he’s arrogant as well. He has hinted to us many times in insinuations that he is behind all of it, but is devious enough to never implicate himself in any way.”

“We have captured many of his pawns that get thrown under the bus and put in Azkaban, but more keep coming and last week we had a spray of five different attacks, all coordinated well and heavily organized, we didn’t catch anyone for them. And he is evolving, using Muggle explosives so they slip by our means of tracking. We are reaching the end of what we can do, which is where you come in.”

Harry turned to her, “We’ll need you to pretend to be a sympathiser to his cause; we can set you up as a rich pureblood that wants to donate to the group. If you can get in close with the main operations, that would help significantly in bringing him down.”

“It will take time though,” Kingsley continued, “Le Roux doesn’t trust new people easily. We need information though, through any means necessary.” He looked gravely at Hermione.

Hermione seemed unfazed by the implications of this and instead asked, “Do we know what preferences he has?”

“We don’t have much to go off-“ Kingsley said.

“Young, hot and engages in various kinks is what Malfoy could tell us,” Harry added.

“OK,” Hermione said. “So that’s the plan, who am I working with?”

“Well, Harry, of course,” Kingsley began, gesturing to the man opposite him, “he’s in charge of the enforcement side of things, Malfoy has ultimate authority when it comes to the infiltration, though. We have Boot, Corner, Nott and Zabini working actively as Aurors for this. Patil and Finch-Fletchley do research and help coordinate. Those are the people you will work with the most. There are many others who do peripheral work of course, but these are the ones who know most of the ins and outs of the operation. We need to keep it small to stop any leaking.”

“Fair enough,” Hermione nodded her head. “A lot of the old guard have retired then?”

“Retired or moved departments,” Harry said. “We do a lot more rotating now so the mortality rate has gone down a lot.”

“That makes sense,” Hermione smiled approvingly. “What will Malfoy know about my part in this?”

“He knows that we will be setting someone up to do deep background infiltration. He has the connections to make the right introductions, but he doesn’t know that someone is you yet. He also doesn’t know about the other side of your mission. How close you are likely to get to Le Roux.”

“Should he remain out of the loop, or do we tell him?” Hermione asked.

“That’s up to you, really,” Kingsley said. “I know you will use your intuition when it comes to that. I suggest you work with him for a few weeks before deciding if you will though. That way you can get a feel for what’s appropriate. It isn’t imperative that he knows the extent of your involvement, the information you retrieve will be given to him either way. We can arrange circumstances in case you want to do an incognito infiltration.”

“Sounds like a decent challenge,” Hermione said. Her eyes were lit up in anticipation.

“That’s everything.” Kingsley said, ending their discussion. “There will be an introduction meeting on Monday for the team to meet you.”

“Thank you,” Hermione stood up with Harry and they made to leave the room.

“Oh, and Hermione,” The Minister for Magic held her before she disappeared through the door. “I’m glad you’re back.”

Hermione nodded to him and shut the door. Harry looked at her. “This is going to be dangerous, you sure you’re up for it?”

Hermione stretched her arms above her head and nonchalantly shrugged at him. “I guess it’s fine, I don’t have any bad feelings about it. At least it will be here with you and not like the time in Uzbekistan.”

“Yeah, you said Uzbekistan was bad.” Harry said, scuffing his foot on the carpet.

“Just that mission, the people were great!” Hermione said, positivity brimming in her voice. “Can you take me to where our work rooms are? I want to be able to know where I’m going when I get here on Monday.”

“Sure,” Harry said. “They are down on the 11th floor right by my office.”

Getting back in the elevator, Harry studied his friend, but she seemed relaxed, even humming a little to herself. She used to fret like crazy when it came to things like this back in the day, but with more experience and the safety precautions they had implemented earlier on in their careers she seemed much better with the missions now.

Harry brought her to a door that required a password to get in and then there was an open area with a large conference table in the middle. There was a kitchenette off to the side and separate offices surrounding the common area. Harry pointed out an office at the end of the room, its door on the left hand side.

“That’s Malfoy’s. He will be moving down here permanently starting Monday. He’s normally in the Law Enforcement Department. Kingsley will be letting him know today now that you’re here. Since we didn’t know exactly what you would be doing, you will probably be given one of the other empty offices. Most people just think he works with us to research the dark artifacts that are being circulated, only us and Theodore Nott and Terry Boot know how involved Malfoy truly is.”

“OK, that makes sense,” Hermione said, scanning the room, “I might just work in the middle with everyone else and I can take an office later if I need. Can you show me what you’ve got so far?”

They let themselves into Harry’s office down the corridor and found the reports Malfoy had dropped off the previous night. They showed that two Dark artefacts had been moved out of the Le Roux manor but the trace of them had disappeared once they had got to a town called Bishop’s Stortford.

“Do they all do this?” Hermione asked, “The trail just stops?”

“Yes,” Harry said. “These are the known dark artifacts as well. They also seem to be making new dark magic objects, but we only have rumour and hearsay to back that up.”

Harry gave her a stack of files he knew she would want to read. He pointed out names and locations for her and could see her eating up the information easily. It took them about two hours to get through everything. Hermione stretched over the back of the chair she had been hunched in.

“If we stay here any longer I will just get sucked in and not be able to fill my obligation to the Weasleys,” she said. “Can I take these files to the main office and leave them in there?”

“Sure,” Harry said. He quirked his mouth. “You’re planning on starting tomorrow without me aren’t you? You want to get completely caught up before Monday rolls around and not hold the team back.”

Hermione nodded. “You got me. Ginny and yourself should join us for dinner, I picked up some interesting dishes in Indonesia I think you’d like.”

Harry crinkled his face in disgust, “You’re not going to make me try tarantula again, are you? I don’t care if you think it tastes like chicken, it just doesn’t.”

Hermione laughed and reassured her friend, “Nothing like that, family friendly, I swear.”

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! Hermione and Draco will be meeting very soon, looking forward to seeing their interaction!


	4. Four

The next day Hermione woke early, showered and dressed herself, she still preferred Muggle clothes even after all these years. It was quite cold today, so she wore a black woollen turtleneck minidress and a long flowing cardigan that came to her knees. She pulled on cabled over-the knee socks that tucked into high heeled boots. Gloves, hat, scarf and coat completed her outfit. 

Picking up a piece of fruit for breakfast and writing a note for the Weasleys thanking them again for their hospitality, she left.

As she Apparated with her trunk to the address Ginny had given her, she looked up at the apartment building. Her friend had found the flat the day before from an acquaintance, she had given Hermione the information and the key the night before at dinner assuring her the place was gorgeous.

Hermione went to the third floor and let herself in. Ginny had been right, the place was amazing and fully furnished which was good. She didn’t have many possessions from her bohemian lifestyle the last couple of years and couldn’t be bothered with the hassle of filling a whole place. The entryway led out into a high-ceilinged room with wooden floors and long windows would that let in lots of light when it wasn’t gray like today. There was a television and a piano, even a pool table in the room and Hermione worried that the place would be too luxurious for her, but she could always move if she felt uncomfortable. She wondered who Ginny knew that would have a house filled with Muggle commodities, but she appreciated it. It reminded her of growing up with her parents before her life at Hogwarts.

The kitchen was at the back of the room, it was small, but that suited her since she would be living by herself and didn’t want to have to constantly clean a large area. She levitated her trunk up the stairs and found the master bedroom up there. The second floor was another open area containing a large king size bed and two doors on the right wall, one that was a walk-in wardrobe, where she placed her trunk, unlocking it and waving her wand for it to unpack itself. The second door led into an ensuite bathroom with one whole wall making a shower. It had two shower heads, a waterfall one and detachable one on the opposite wall. She noted the bench had two sinks and she assumed whoever had designed the place had done so with a couple in mind. Not that she minded much, the shower looked fun.

She made her way downstairs again, and looked through the other doors. One was a linen closet that also housed some cleaning supplies and another led to the downstairs bathroom. This one contained a large claw foot tub and she grinned. She loved baths and had been a bit disappointed when there wasn’t one in the ensuite. Walking to the last door at the end of the hallway, she opened the door to the outside area. There was a balcony out here with an area that she thought would be perfect for a barbeque. She was surprised with how large it was, there was a picnic table out here and she rounded the corner where she saw a spa pool. “Oh, thank you, Ginny!” she mused to herself. It was right next to the French doors that connected to the lounge, looking out over the London skyline. She had no idea how this place was available considering London was so expensive to live in and people clamoured for space wherever they could. Maybe there was some magic involved somewhere, whatever it was, she was going to enjoy living here.

Leaving her new-found paradise, she headed to the fireplace and performed the charm to connect it to the Floo Network at the Ministry and cast various wards to make the place safe. Next she made her way to the offices Harry showed her the day before. Laying her jacket on the coat rack, she sat down at the centre table and got stuck into the files, spreading them around her and taking out parchment to make her own notes as she went.

She worked tirelessly for a few hours. It was around 11am that the door to the office opened, but she didn’t even notice it, absorbed as she was.

* * *

Draco opened the door and stopped when he saw her there. Working with her back to him, she was reading a file and there was a large amount of paper surrounding her. She quickly scribbled something down on the parchment in front of her and he closed the door. He decided he would apologise now and get it over with. At least this way there was no one else around to witness it. He walked up to her and started, “Granger, I-“

“Ahh!” she squealed, flinging the papers she was reading in the air. She clutched her chest and looked up. Draco stood there with a raised eyebrow watching some of the pages float down.

“Malfoy, you scared the crap out of me,” she said, waving her hand to gather the papers to her again.

“Evidently,” he said, looking down at her with bemusement.

“Are you here to move into the office before Monday comes?” she asked casually, returning to her research.

“Yes,” Draco said, slowly. He was confused. She wasn’t being at all hostile, just, well, normal. He swallowed his apology and walked to the back where his office would be. Opening it, he dropped the box he had been carrying on the desk inside, turning he was taken aback, to see she had followed him in.

“Bloody hell, Granger,” he said, as she looked around, “how did you creep up like that?”

She waggled a shoeless foot at him. “I took my boots off,” she explained.

Draco just raised an eyebrow at her.

“It’s so I can concentrate better,” she continued.

“OK...” Draco said, giving her a wary look. She definitely wasn’t angry with him, but there was something else, too. He could see her mind working like she was digesting every part of their interaction, the same expression he had so often seen in class at Hogwarts and she still had that giddy goodness oozing out of her. All that was the same though, he couldn’t place what was different.

She took a step forward so they were closer, crossing her arms over her chest, bundled in an oversized cardigan and staring at him, cocking her side slowly from side to side as she did so.

“What are you doing?” he asked.

“Looking at you,” she stated.

“Why?” 

“Why not?” she answered.

Since there was not really an answer he could give to that he just moved around her to leave again and pack up his other things to bring them down, intending to do it with magic now he had scoped the size of his new placement. She was weirding him out, he didn’t know how to react to her now and being unsettled was a feeling he greatly disliked.

She followed him out of the room, but he was relieved to see that she sat back down and began reading through the files again.

He had to make several trips with the office move, but each entry and exit was ignored by Granger. She was completely immersed in her reading. It was almost unnerving. She had used that intensity on him in the office and he felt a little sorry for those words being under such scrutiny. He started arranging his space, leaving the door open so he could keep a curious eye on her. It took him several hours to set everything up, some things requiring wards and other spells that took time to perform. She hardly moved at all other than to pick up new files and to write down ideas that came to her. Sometimes she would set everything down and stare off in the middle of nowhere, biting on her lower lip. When she wrote a longer thought on her parchment she would flick her tongue out to run down the corner of her mouth, grazing it over her canine unconsciously. He still couldn’t place what it was that was different about her, and it was starting to bug him.

“Malfoy!” she said suddenly while he was organising his desk drawers, he looked up to find her head still down, but her hand raised and beckoning him over.

He left his office and sat around the table from her a couple of chairs away. “What?” he asked, leaning back and picking up a paper to appraise it. It was about one of the artefacts that Le Roux had manufactured and sent into a movie theatre where it blew up halfway through the film, luckily there had only been one injury with that one.

He put it back down to see Granger steeling him with that intense gaze again. She was holding her quill to be poised over a fresh piece of parchment.

“Tell me about Le Roux,” she said.

“What about him?” he asked, a little amused by her behaviour. When those brown eyes latched onto something, they were held hostage until her brain was satisfied enough to move her on. It was strangely captivating to be concentrated on so intently.

“Everything about him,” she replied. “I need as much information as I can get.”

“There’s not much to know, really. He’s pretty private.”

“I heard he was boastful and arrogant,” she said, rolling the quill between her fingers.

“He is, but that doesn’t mean he spreads his details around, only stuff that doesn’t matter.”

“It all matters right now,” she eased back in her chair, having not stopped looking at him.

“He’s 49, about 6 feet tall, slight, but powerfully built. He has brown hair, blue eyes.”

“I have all that already, I need personal details.” Hermione said. She maintained her patience, she wasn’t sure if he was messing with her or not, but if he was, she wouldn’t let him win.

Draco had been messing with her, but she didn’t get angry at his lack of cooperation. That was a good thing since he had been wondering how they were going to work together.

“OK, the only things I know are superficial things,” he conceded, leaning forward and she readied herself for note-taking.

“He’s known for having a bit of a harem, beautiful girls and guys to make him look good. There’s always people coming and going from his house and he hosts a lot of parties. This means we never really know when the get together is for show or if a deal is going down.

“Smart,” Hermione noted.

“He brags about the ones he beds,” Draco paused, wanting to test her again. His straight-laced Gryffindor princess memories would be upset by what he had to say next, “there are orgies, threesomes, lots of drug taking, he’s quite partial to fetishism as well, there are bondage rooms and his parties often have lewd themes.”

He had watched her carefully through all this, but she didn’t show any sign of disgust, just calmly took notes.

“What fetishes?” she asked.

Draco was surprised, but as always, kept a stoic demeanour up. “Why does that matter? It doesn’t help us.”

She paused, opening her mouth as if to say something, closed it and started again, “It could help me.”

Draco drew his eyebrows together. “Why should knowing his fetishes help?”

She put the quill down, assessing him. She seemed to come to a decision. “They’re sending me in undercover. I have to seem like I don’t care about things like that. If I seem repelled then I probably won’t get any closer than where we are now.”

Draco paused, he knew Shacklbolt had been planning to bring someone else in, he never though that someone would be Hermione Granger. Hiding his surprise he considered her words, “OK, then I’ve heard of pony play and water sports happening, but those seem to be in a party atmosphere, for himself I’ve definitely heard him talk about bondage and power plays. Judging from his character and love of power, I would guess that he would be in the dominant position during that.”

“Hmm, maybe not,” Granger replied, tapping her quill on her lips. “Often people who have to deal with a lot of decisions and hold a lot of power and influence like to be stripped of that and forced to do things by someone else. Like being put on a lead or being ‘punished’ for being bad. Things like that,” she stopped her hands from making their avid gestures when she took in Malfoy’s quizzical expression as he looked from her face to her hands. “Or so I’ve heard,” she added, going back to taking notes.

Draco quirked his mouth up in a way that was very reminiscent to Hermione of her time in school, but his eyes were not cold like they were then. They still masked his true thoughts, but there was warmth there now.

“So your trip wasn’t just libraries then?” he asked her.

“Why? Curious?” Hermione quipped back, holding his gaze in that intense way again.

At that moment, her red origami crane came through the messages slot and unfolded itself on the palm she opened up for it to land on. Ginny had sent her a message, letting her know she was at her house and would have a glass of wine waiting for her when she got home. Hermione waved her wand over it to make the previous message disappear and rewrote on it telling Ginny she would be there within an hour before sending it off again.

“Clever little bugger, isn’t he?” Malfoy said, watching the crane flap away gracefully.

“It’s a she.” Hermione said back.

Draco rounded his gaze on her. “How can you tell?”

Hermione stopped packing her things up and paused, looking ahead of her, “Good point,” she said, finally.

It was the first time he had seen her look perplexed by something, it was satisfying to see.

“I’ve got to go, see you tomorrow,” she said, before waving her wand to tidy her parchments up and conjuring a case for them to be locked in until she returned the next day.

She exited, barely glancing at him as she did so. Malfoy leaned back in the chair and contemplated the afternoon. It had been strange to be sure, but not unpleasant. Granger was definitely different, she seemed worldlier and she was certainly quick off the mark. There was no bashfulness about her anymore. Something seemed off though and he realized that it was how she comported herself. Her prudish sensibilities seemed to have gone. She was interesting to be sure, but that unnerved him. He decided the small details that needing organizing in his office could wait until Monday and he locked the door before exiting the office himself.

As he left for home, he wondered what the rest of the team would make of this new Granger.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading!
> 
> I'm looking forward to continuing the story but please let me know if you have any feedback.
> 
> Thank you all.


	5. Five

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hermione meets the team. Draco is freaked out.

“Ginny, how did you get this place?” Hermione questioned her friend after taking the promised wine. It was tart and crisp against her tongue.

“One of the girls on the team has a Muggle husband who’s in real estate and he hooked me up,” Ginny grinned. “It’s even better than he described though.”

They were sitting at the outdoor picnic table, the April day was warm and they were making the most of spring.

“You were at the office?” Ginny inquired, sipping her own glass, hers was a gin and tonic with a dash of bitters in it, a slice of lemon and plenty of ice to keep it cool.

“Yes, trying to catch up before the introduction tomorrow. I didn’t want to waste time by having people constantly explaining things.”

“And you’re already caught up?”

“Well, Harry has been keeping himself organized from what I can see, it was easy to follow what he gave me.”

“That’ll be Draco’s doing actually,” Ginny commented. When Hermione raised questioning eyebrows, she continued, “He was second to you in school, remember. He knows how to research.”

Hermione swished the wine around its glass, she had forgotten that actually. It never really figured much to her in school, as long as she was number one, the ones behind hadn’t matter. No, that wasn’t entirely true, she did remember being annoyed in Potions when Snape clearly favoured Malfoy and he was even more annoyingly worthy of the praise. “Hmm,” was all she said absently to Ginny, “Actually, he was there today.”

“Draco?” Ginny clarified, having also meandered in her thoughts.

“Yeah,” Hermione said.

“What was it like?”

“Fine.”

“Just fine?”

Hermione looked at her friend, Ginny was looking carefully at her with a smirk on her face.

“What?” Hermione asked, a bit bewildered.

“Come on, the man is hot. Even hotter now since he’s not all-“ she trailed off but gestured over her arm where the Dark Mark of Voldemort’s followers used to be and hissed for added effect.

Hermione snorted at her comedic performance. “You’re not wrong, but he has that vibe about him, you know.”

“Vibe?” Ginny queried.

“You know, the fuckboy vibe.”

Ginny spluttered in surprise, wiping the misplaced drink from around her mouth. “Hermione Granger! Where did you learn a term like that?”

“I haven’t been living under a rock!” Hermione shot back, smiling at her friend still cleaning up her spill.

Recovering a little, Ginny leaned on the table, spinning her straw around the condensation-covered glass, clinking the cubes prettily. “He does have a reputation, lots of girls, none that stay around long,”

“Like a few weeks?”

“Like a night,” Ginny said, “Notoriously loves waking up alone despite appreciating nocturnal companions.”

“So the fuckboy label fits,” Hermione sipped her glass again and looked out across London which started to glow orange with the oncoming sunset. She flicked her tongue out of her corner of her mouth in thought.

Ginny chuckled beside her.

“Hm?” Hermione resumed her interest in the conversation.

“You were thinking hard about something, and I guess that something was Malfoy,” Ginny’s eyes danced in amusement knowing she’d caught her friend out.

“I was,” Hermione conceded, “I was thinking about working with him.”

“Technically you’re working _under_ him aren’t you?” Ginny insinuated and Hermione shot her a wink.

“Yes, I will be reporting to him, but what you’ve told me should warn me off him right in a personal capacity right?”

“Depends on what you’re looking for,” Ginny waggled her eyebrows at Hermione. “You’re allowed to have some fun, don’t restrict yourself because of-“

“I’m not,” Hermione cut her off, “that’s just not how I do things, a different girl every night, I mean occasionally is fine, but you make it seem like this happens all the time. As you know, I like to have more of a rotation,” Ginny nodded. “Different lifestyles, I suppose. I mean, we’ve had our fair share of trysts, too.”

“Here, here!” Ginny called, toasting that.

“I’m being unfair. Neither way is better than the other, it’s just personal preference. But you’re right, if the opportunity came along...” she grinned and raised her eyebrows at Ginny who sniggered into her drink.

* * *

Across town, Malfoy was having a drink with Terry Boot and Theo Nott.

“So, Granger’s back?” Nott raised his eyebrows as he took a swig from his drink.

“Yeah,” Draco replied, nursing a whisky and checking out the crowd at the bar. The scene was a little slow today, but there was still plenty of talent around. The raven-haired girl in the corner booth had been surreptitiously looking over at him for the last half hour and after sending her some overly long glances, he was ignoring her. She would most likely brush past them on her way to the bathroom in another twenty minutes or so and that’s when he’d make his move. The itch to sleep with an unknown had been creeping up on him since last Thursday after he’d taken home an Irish witch that had been visiting the Ministry. He wanted to satisfy this urge tonight before it got worse.

Boot nudged him back into the conversation, “I asked you what she’s like now.”

Malfoy shrugged, “Pretty much the same. Hard-working, intense, complete bookworm.”

Boot seemed a little disappointed, “I always had a bit of a crush on her at school. Especially after the Yule Ball.”

Nott nodded and clinked Terry’s glass at that comment.

“Does she still have that fire? That intensity in her eyes? I used to want to be her books sometimes.”

Draco smirked remembering he’d thought just the opposite this afternoon, the unfortunate books.

“That’s still there. But, she did this weird thing when I got there. Followed me into my office and stood there staring at me.”

The two other men looked at him, “Why?” Theo asked.

“That’s what I said,” Draco replied, taking a drink.

“Well, what did she say?” Boot pushed for details.

“She said, ‘Why not?’” Draco copied Hermione’s mannerisms as she’d said it.

“Just like that? ‘Why not?’” Theo repeated, there was a moment of silence between the three men.

“Damn,” Terry shook his head, smiling. “Girl’s got game.”

That threw Draco, “Game? Hardly,” he scoffed.

“But you’re talking about it, that’s so unlike you. You’ve been thinking about her,” Theo noted. 

Draco looked at the two of them and thought about it. They were right that he was normally tight-lipped about these things. He’d just found it weird. He grumbled something incomprehensible at them.

“Aw, don’t be mad, Malfoy,” Theo continued.

“Yeah, it takes the fun out of it if you make it easy for us,” Terry chuckled.

“Whatever,” Malfoy said, smirking to the side and sending the black-haired girl another dose of flirty eye contact, causing the girl to blush and turn back to her friends.

“What else though, is she going to be a total dictator? Though I don’t see how they can make us work even harder on this, we’re doing so much overtime as it is,” Terry said, flagging down a bar employee for another round.

“We only got this weekend off so they could arrange her to come, right?” Nott said.

“Mm,” Draco said absently. He didn’t think these two would be so interested in Granger, but he supposed the Golden Girl and Her Mysterious Trip was enough to intrigue them. No one really knew what she had been doing and she hadn’t set foot in England for two years. No one except Potter knew for sure he reckoned. The two trips Potter had made to see her always ended up with him coming back with eyes shining of adventure but he wouldn’t ever divulge what they got up to.

“So?” Terry pressed.

“About Granger? She doesn’t seem as bossy now, so I doubt she will ask the team to pull all-nighters or anything,” he said. “She’s very... calm about everything.”

“What do you mean?” Nott asked.

Draco hesitated, wondering if he should divulge more of their conversation, but since it would most likely come up on Monday anyway he decided to tell them.

“She asked me about Le Roux,” he said.

“What about him?” Boot said.

“What his preferences were,” he paused. “His sexual preferences.”

His two companions eyebrows shot up their foreheads. This was definitely not very Granger-like behaviour.

“I told her about the fetishes and how he was probably a sadist and she actually argued for the opposite.” Draco looked at the stunned faces of Theo and Terry.

“That Le Roux is a masochist?” Terry asked slowly.

“Yeah, she said that people in power often like having it stripped away from them and forced to do degrading things and other punishments. She wasn’t fazed at all.”

“Wow,” Theo said, running a hand though his hair. “You got a lot out of an afternoon with her.”

Draco remembered the intensity of her stare on him and how blasé she had been about the subject matter.

“So her trip wasn’t just museum tours and research then,” Theo wondered aloud.

“My comment to her was that it wasn’t all libraries,” Draco replied.

“What did she say to that?” Terry asked, his crush perhaps not quite forgotten.

“She asked me if I was curious.”

There was another pause from the men and the girl Draco had been flirting with passed them on her way to the bathroom sending him a flirtatious gaze the whole way.

“Excuse me,” Draco said, knocking back his whisky and following her.

Theo and Terry watched him catch her arm and whirl her around a corner in what was probably the start of a make-out session.

“Well,” Theo said, turning back and staring at nothing.

“Well,” Terry echoed.

“Tomorrow’s going to be interesting.”

“Indeed, it is.”

* * *

Monday came and Shacklebolt arrived with Harry and Hermione in tow to begin the introduction meeting. The whole team was assembled and the Minister for Magic cleared his throat to start the proceedings.

“I’m sure this meeting is unwarranted, since you all know our new member, but procedures being what they are...” he trailed off and gestured for Hermione to step forward. She was wearing a carefully put together outfit of office chic, a loose white shirt with black collar and cuffs and an A-line skirt complete with black sheer stockings and Mary Jane heels. The epitome of proprietary standing with her hands folded in front of her.

“Miss Granger will be joining us on this project, her research skills and other talents will certainly prove invaluable to the team. Is there anything you would like to add, Hermione,” Shacklebolt asked, turning to Hermione.

Hermione briefly looked at Harry who nodded.

“I remember all of you of course,” she said, smiling around at everyone. “Petrified friends forever, right, Justin?” Justin, looked at her a bit perplexed. Hermione coughed awkwardly and continued. Draco frowned, she seemed different to how she acted yesterday. He wasn’t sure why, but judging from Potter’s face and his carefully concealed mirth, something was up. Draco narrowed his eyes and turned his attention back to Hermione.

“I look forward to us all working together and thank you for looking after me,” she ended her speech and bowed to them. She straightened up before registering their confused expressions. She blushed and chewed a nail, “Sorry, I suppose Asia isn’t completely out of my system, yet.”

Shacklebolt took over again. “Thank you, Hermione. I will also mention that Mr. Malfoy has moved into the office at the back of the room and is now stationed here permanently. That’s all, so work hard everyone.” The Minister exited the room following the conclusion of his speech. Harry quickly whispered in Hermione’s ear and she nodded before watching him follow Shacklebolt out. She exhaled and sat herself down, undoing the case charm and setting herself back to work. Draco went into the kitchenette to make himself a coffee and overheard Boot start a conversation with their new team member.

“Hello, again, Hermione,” Terry said to her.

“Oh, hi, Terry!” she replied, brightly.

“Good speech,” he told her.

“Oh, no it was terrible!” Hermione shook her head in embarrassment. “All those clichés, and I can’t believed I bowed! Humiliation Station right here.”

Terry laughed at her bad joke. “I thought it was cute,”

“That’s sweet of you,” Hermione said, her voice soft and Draco could imagine her blush was back in full force. This was more like the dorky Granger from school, but if this was her, then what was yesterday, an anomaly? The self-assurance seemed to have disappeared and in its place was naivety. And were Terry and her actually flirting?

Turning back with his coffee he interrupted Terry going over one of the files Granger had asked him about. “Boot,” Draco said, jerking his head to his office. Granger looked at him, and for an instant the woman from yesterday looked back at him, brown eyes aware and lamplike, staring intensely before returning to her paper.

Terry entered his office and he shut the door. Malfoy took out some files regarding their research about the new artefacts Le Roux was making, intending to go over them with the Auror.

“Woah,” Terry breathed, once they were sequestered.

“What?” Draco said.

“Hermione! You didn’t tell me she’s like that now!”

“Like what?”

“She’s so charming,” the Auror sighed, “she touched my arm just now you know.”

Draco quirked an eyebrow, amused at how affected his friend was. “Is that so?” he replied.

“Yes, and she called me sweet, did you hear her call me sweet?”

“Get a hold of yourself, man. You’ve barely had a five-minute conversation with her.”

“Maybe she’s the One,” Terry continued, his comments now coming from a place of humour and Draco couldn’t stifle the laugh. “Seriously, though, she has changed a lot,”

“I thought she seemed pretty much the same today as she was at school,” Draco commented, flipping through the reports they were meant to be going through.

“No,” Terry stated adamantly, “come take a look.”

He opened the door and they acted as if they were continuing a conversation. Keeping their body language turned to each other as they covertly eyed Granger sitting where Terry had left her, but now talking over some files with Padma Patil.

“Look at how open she is, her posture is amazing, her movements are completely different,” Terry noted.

“That must have been some crush in school, Boot,” Draco said sardonically, shuffling around papers while inconspicuously watching her.

Terry leaned in closer and said, “Don’t tell me you haven’t noticed, Granger was hardly in the background during school. Look how she smiles, and that thing she does with her tongue. She’s much more relaxed now. She’s _seen_ stuff out there. It makes me want to find out what.”

Draco had noticed some of these differences yesterday, but today they were wrapped under another layer. He glanced over again and saw Theo sitting beside her now, her body turned into him and she was leaning forward. He had to admit that she definitely had the ability to engage someone fully.

Draco shook his head, “I just think she’s weird and awkward.”

“Mate, you’re not looking at the bigger picture,” Terry grinned, slapping some papers in Malfoy’s chest. “Excuse me, while I try to reclaim my spot before Nott ingratiates himself too much.”

Draco watched him sidle into the seat on the other side of Granger, slipping into the conversation between her and Nott, while Patil returned with a file Hermione had clearly asked for. The four of them returned to work as Corner, Zabini and Finch-Fletchley sat further away working out some strategy for a reclaiming mission. Draco returned to his office, shutting the door and working through his own reports.

An hour later he headed for the kitchen again to make another coffee. He was stirring in the milk and sugar when Granger came to stand beside him and busied herself with making a green tea.

He was about to turn to go when she spoke, “You and Terry have a good chat about me?”

He looked to see if she was angry, but a smile played on her face instead, she still did not look at him though, even as she leaned across him to grab a teaspoon out of a drawer.

“We were talking about some reports that had come in,” Draco replied, coolly.

“No, you weren’t,” she said with confidence, stirring the tea slowly with languorous movements.

“What makes you so sure?” he asked, maintaining his neutrality.

She leaned over again to put the spoon back after a wordless _Scourgify_ and this time she inhaled him.

“Did you just sniff me?” he said incredulous.

“Yes.” The matter-of-fact response came.

Draco stilled, freaked out. “What the hell,” he looked at her trying to hide how perturbed he was.

“Your heart rate has elevated, you weren’t expecting to be caught out on the lie.” She still had not looked at him as she leaned against the counter, sipping her tea and looking into the distance, as if in thought.

“You could tell that from smelling me?” he shifted away from her.

“Yes. It’s something I picked up overseas. A person’s scent changes when they are panicked. Just like yours did.”

“How could you tell though?” he asked, despite himself more intrigued now by the theory than her practice of it.

“I had a baseline from yesterday. My memory for these things is very good. I just open up and all of you is there for me to see.”

“It’s an interesting technique, but don’t smell people in future, it’s weird,” Draco advised.

“Thank you,” Granger said before pushing off as she ran over to another Auror, “Hey, Michael, what’s the-“ Draco heard her saying before he walked out of earshot.

Back in his office, he tried to concentrate back on the files he had to sort through for Potter, but he flung them down an instant later. Did Granger just thank him for calling her weird? Or was it for calling the incident an interesting technique? She had acted like the person she had been yesterday again. His mind whirled, not understanding. So, it wasn’t an anomaly? Did she act differently with every person? He grunted, he was sick of thinking about it and so he decided to stop, it wasn’t worth his time. He returned to his reports with fervour, getting more done than he normally would in a concentrated effort to block out the morning’s strange confrontation.

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! 
> 
> I don't really have a plan for chapter releases, sorry! I have a lot pre-written but have only now realised how large some of them are.


	6. Six

The afternoon proceeded amiably. They had a meeting led by Draco and he assigned them all tasks to cover over the coming week. Zabini, Corner and Finch-Fletchley outlined the plans they had come up with that morning to recover some artefacts they had obtained information on. Granger had asked them some good questions and had jotted down their answers while adding some of her own details to streamline to process further. She made sure to form the additions as questions for approval to Draco and Harry who both concluded that they would only help the operation. 

Her thirst to be number one had evidently died while she was away. She put forward the ideas her own miniature team had come up with, giving credit where it was due to each person. Draco noticed this made everyone at the table smile at her and he wondered if it was just the cynic in him to think it was a manipulation on her part. She and Padma had evidently bonded quickly, the two women going out for lunch together, they had come back laughing with Finch-Fletchley and his boyfriend who was a Quidditch equipment tester for the Department of Magical Games and Sports.

Terry’s crush looked to be back in full force and Nott seemed intrigued by her as well.

“Has she been OK?” Potter asked him, watching her himself.

“It seems so,” Draco replied.

“Good. I really hated making her come back,” Harry sighed. He looked at his friend who caught his eye and sent him a wink.

Draco noticed it and turned to his colleague, “What’s with that?”

“With what?” Harry replied, deliberately claiming ignorance on the question.

Draco, though, decided to be forthright. “Who is she really? She acts naive one minute and then perceptive the next. You were trying not to laugh at her gaff during the introduction meeting, what’s the deal?”

Harry turned to him, “Is this with everyone, or just you?” he asked.

Draco ran through his encounters with the witch. “Just me, I think.”

Harry nodded. “Then you will be finding out soon enough,” he answered cryptically.

Draco was getting angry, his patience was not good at best of times and he disliked being treated like a fool. “Shouldn’t you just tell me now?” he said through gritted teeth in a warning tone.

“Sorry, but it’s not for me to tell,” said Harry. “Just forget about it for now, it’s nothing that will jeopardise anything we’re doing here.”

Draco mulled that over and decided to trust his old rival. When they had first started working together there had been many times when they were less than friendly to each other, but time and good work had proved, at first grudgingly, that the wizards were a good team. That had slowly turned to respect and then Draco couldn’t believe that they now saw each other socially as well. He looked over at Granger again and saw her looking up at Harry beside her and conversing happily with him. He went back into his office content to let it go now that he had been assured that it wasn’t going to push back the progress they had made so far.

They managed to push through until 8pm when Draco said they could leave it there for the night. They had got a lot done so he told them they would probably be able to leave the office at normal hours for the rest of the week.

People filtered out, Zabini and Nott were the last to go asking him if he wanted to join them for a drink. Draco told them he might meet them at The Leaky Cauldron later after dropping off the days reports to Harry’s office. Picking them up, he locked his office and waved the lighting off in the main area before leaving. Going down the corridor to Harry’s office he noticed the door was slightly ajar.

“Hermione, I’m going later this week, I really wish you would come-“

“Just leave it, Harry.”

Draco paused in the door, he knew this wasn’t a conversation to be listened to. Granger sounded upset, he shouldn’t have, but he lingered anyway.

“But Ron- he will want to see you,” Potter said quietly.

“I wish people would stop saying that!” she shouted. “You know it isn’t true!”

“It is, Hermione. He would, you know he would.”

“I can’t do this,” Granger said, pushing the door open, a hand on her mouth, eyes brimming with tears and she started to run down the corridor. Potter was quick to follow her, grabbing her arm and crushing her against him. Draco could see Potter whispering to her and running a hand over her hair comfortingly, Granger’s hands were digging into Potter’s back, clutching him like a lifeline, Draco could hear her saying, “I’m not ready, I can’t, Harry, I just can’t.”

Potter was soothing her quietly, turning his head and seeing Malfoy there. Draco just raised the reports and motioned them into the office. Potter nodded his head and started to draw Granger away. Draco went into Potter’s office and set the reports where he always did. He had never really seen Granger and Potter in intimate moments of their friendship. It seemed odd to him that they were so familiar which each other. He knew Potter was with Ginny Weasley and had suffered through their public displays of affection often enough, he did not doubt their relationship. This with Granger, though, there was need there and affection. Love as well. Maybe he just didn’t understand because he had no female friendships like that. He left Potter’s office and was glad he didn’t encounter the pair again as he Floo’d to join the others at The Leaky Cauldron. He was in definite need of a drink.

Ordering a whisky he sat at the booth with Nott, Zabini and Boot. Patil and Corner were still up at the bar talking to some people they knew from another department of the Ministry.

“Finch-Fletchley’s not coming,” Boot told him, bypassing a greeting entirely. “Him and his boyfriend are celebrating their anniversary.”

“It’s been a year already?” Nott said, “Seems like only the other day Symonds was making ‘oh, I was just passing and...’ overtures to our office.”

Zabini snorted, “Yeah, and when they actually got together, they thought they were so sneaky and it was the most obvious thing?”

They laughed good naturedly and then Granger came barrelling into the bar, quickly looking around before spotting them and seating herself next Zabini, squishing him and Boot further into the booth.

“Sorry,” she said, then she grabbed Draco’s drink and chugged the thing back, “Bleurgh!” she exclaimed scrunching her eyes and sticking her tongue out.

“Well don’t steal whisky if you don’t like it,” Draco grouched.

Granger swiped her mouth with the back of her hand. “Not because it’s whisky but because it’s a _blend_. Malfoy, I expected better from you.”

“You know whisky, Granger?” Nott inquired, “Aren’t you just full of surprises.”

“Yes,” she said and stood up again. “I’m going to get a real drink.” She started heading for the bar before stopping and saying to Draco, “I suppose I should get you one as well.”

Draco didn’t even time to reply before she was off again.

Boot laughed, “Malfoy, you’re face! You’re normally so good at being stony, but you didn’t manage it that time.”

Blaise was chuckling into his drink, too. “She seems... feisty.”

Theo agreed, “Maybe something happened.”

“If something did, maybe best not to ask her,” Malfoy added.

“Do you know what it is?” Boot questioned.

Draco just shrugged like he wasn’t sure.

Granger came back to the table with a tray of shots for them all, as well as a new whisky for himself and a gigantic beer for her.

“Right, boys, we’re doing these and then another round once Padma and Michael tear themselves away. Bottoms up.”

They followed her orders downing the shot.

“Ugh, Granger, what is this shit?” Theo asked her, grimacing.

“Equal parts tequila, rum and vodka,” she said, “it tastes foul but it gets you drunk super quick.”

“What does?” Patil asked as her and Michael pulled up a couple of chairs to the end of the booth.

“This,” Granger said, quickly passing another round of shots out. “Ok, go!” they slammed the liquor down yet again.

“Doesn’t get any better than second time around,” Zabini said with a grimace.

Padma had finished hers, but had done the shot delicately, she raised her eyebrow at Hermione. “That’s certainly interesting. Where did you pick that one up?”

“Either Australia or New Zealand, I can’t remember.” Granger replied, starting on her beer as a chaser to the strong, foul tasting liquor.

Draco took a sip of the whisky Granger had got him and it was a vast improvement over the first one he had bought. It must have been a sherry cask judging from the colour and an Islay from the peatiness. He didn’t know how she knew to choose an Islay whisky when they were his favourite, the blend had been a Highland, but he wasn’t about the question her odd perceptiveness.

“So Granger, what overseas innovation do you most wish you could bring back here?” Boot asked her.

“Japanese beer vending machines,” she said without hesitation.

“What’s a vending machine?” Zabini asked.

“It’s like a box that Muggles put money in to receive goods, right?” Padma asked Hermione for confirmation. Hermione was leaning heavily on a hand propped up by an elbow that was lying flush with the table, drinking from the stein of beer she had bought. She nodded at the other woman’s explanation.

“Why would you want that when you can just conjure up a beer?” Theo mused.

“Because, of the hum, and the fluorescent lights. The ka-kik-ching it makes when you push the button and the rumble that accompanies the can rolling down.” Granger was floating her hand around as she explained this. She fixed Theo with one of her intense stares. “Maybe I’ll buy one and you can come over and try it, it’s really satisfying.”

“I’m sure it is,” Theo said and Granger chuckled into her beer obviously the innuendo was not lost on her.

The table was in high spirits, not only from the alcohol, but the camaraderie was in fine form.

“Potter not coming tonight?” Corner asked.

“He has something else on,” Granger replied quickly, taking a big sip of her drink, a martini this time. There had been many more drinks taken by this time everyone was getting quite tipsy. Padma was hiccupping like crazy. Hermione reached over and rubbed her back.

“Sor- _hic_ -ry,” Padma said, “I always get the _hic_ -hiccups when I drink.” Granger was lying over the table also seeming quite drunk.

She lifted a hand up and picked up a strand of Padma’s thick black hair, “You’re so pretty, Padma,” she slurred, tucking the strand behind the other girls’ shoulder. “Do people tell you how pretty you are?”

“Um, n- _hic_ \- not really,” Padma blushed a little, but looked flattered. The table of men were looking on curiously.

Granger seemed aware of this and stage whispered to Patil, “Should just us girls go get a drink at the bar?”

“Sound- _hic_ -sounds good,” Padma said, standing up and Granger linked her arm as they headed over to the other side of the room taking a perch on the bar stools. Michael kept glancing back at them watching Granger stroke the other girl’s arm, making Padma giggle.

“Did Granger turn while she was away?” Terry asked, incredulously.

“Who knows,” replied Zabini, “Anything’s possible, I suppose.”

They watched the girls talk for a couple of minutes then Padma got up to use the Ladies’ and Granger came back to their table, she sat in Padma’s vacated chair and draped her limbs over the arms and swinging the seat side to side.

“So, Padma’s going to go home,” she said, casually. She sat up drunkenly leaning on a hand propped up by an elbow again. “She’s pretty drunk, maybe someone should make sure she gets home alright.”

“I’ll do it,” Michael offered.

“Aww, would you?” Granger pawed at his arm, “You’re so good. Here she comes now, this is her cloak, go see if she’s OK.”

Michael took the item Granger was shoving at him and escorted a wobbly Padma outside to get her home.

Granger wheeled the chair backwards with her feet, watching them leave, before standing up and wheeling it back to the table she’d stolen it from. She walked back over to their table and sat next to Blaise again. “Well, that was easy,” she said, all drunken affectations now gone.

“Wait, what just happened?” Terry leaned over to ask her.

Granger smiled mischievously, “Had you guys not noticed? Michael and Padma are crazy about each other. It’s been obvious since the moment I stepped into the office.”

The guys blinked at her.

“Seriously?” Granger exclaimed, looking at them exasperately. “The looks, the little touches, the coffee breaks taken at the same time?”

“But you were flirting with her!” Zabini said.

“To make a point to Michael that other people might try to swoop in if he didn’t make a move soon.”

“Why take her away from the table then?” Theo asked, frowning.

Granger sighed like it was obvious. “I separated her to ask her about it.”

The guys looked at her like she was an alien.

“What?” she said, taking another sip of her drink.

“Sorry, Hermione, it’s just a little unexpected,” said Terry.

“About Michael and Padma?” she asked.

“No, you! You’re so different!” Terry said.

“Well, yeah, travelling does that to you,” she said.

“That was properly amazing though,” he said, clapping for emphasis. “Can you hook me up like that sometime?”

Granger shrugged at him, “Sure.”

Zabini stood up and Granger moved out of the booth to let him out. “It’s 1.30am, I’ve got to get going.”

“Shit, me too,” Theo said.

“I’ve got to trail that suspect at six,” Terry said, “I guess that means I should be off, too, you guys coming?”

Draco swilled his whisky around, “Can’t waste this, sorry mate,”

He watched Granger glance at her watch and grimace before shaking her head.

“OK,” Boot said, before sending some silent communication to Draco, nodding at Granger and then giving him a stern look essentially saying he better make sure she got home alright. Draco sent him an eye roll and a nod. Granger was lying on her arm along the table again absently drawing shapes with her index finger. “Bye, Hermione,” Terry said and she vacantly waved at him.

Draco sat there nursing his drink and looking curiously at the witch opposite him. “Don’t you want to go home?” he asked.

“No,” she said.

“You really want to stay here?” he said.

“Not really,” she replied.

“That doesn’t give you many options then.” Draco sat silently for a while, content to just let the gap in conversation widen. He wasn’t a huge one for talking anyway.

“Harry’s still at my house,” Granger said with a sigh, looking at her watch again. “He wants to talk to me about stuff I don’t want to talk about.”

“You don’t have to tell me-” said Draco.

“I’m not,” she stopped him, “but you already know since you were outside his office earlier.”

“You saw me,” he said simply.

“Uh-huh,” she said. “You’re a bit of a voyeur, aren’t you... Wanna sit here and just drink?”

“Hell yes,” Draco replied.

“Barman!” Granger yelled, “Whisky!”

“What kind?” he called back.

“The good kind,” she shouted back.

“Not helping,” came the reply.

“Ugh,” Granger getting up and heading across the room, “Tom, you’re useless!”

“Only when it comes to you, Granger,” the barman replied.

When she came back she had a bottle of 15 year old Speyside and a small jug of water.

They shared the first three drams in relative silence, but once they got onto the fourth and fifth, they just started talking.

“So you and Potter went to Bali instead of Brisbane?” Draco laughed. “How did that happen?”

Hermione shook her glass at him, “Too much of this, turns out I was imagining the wrong beach.”

He laughed again. He was starting to understand how Potter could be so close to her, Granger was easy to talk to and listened to the things around her, even if she wasn’t completely interested in the topic. 

“What about you?” she asked, “What’s been going on with you these past two years, or nine years, really. I haven’t seen you since the war.”

Draco shrugged, the effects of the alcohol had made his head fuzzy and his tongue was a lot looser as he shrugged at her. “Not a lot really, just been rebuilding what the name Malfoy means to people. I started to contract at the Ministry not long after you left and been there ever since.”

“What do you do for fun then? Got any hobbies?” Hermione asked, pouring yet another whisky for them.

“Mostly just this, drinking, seeking out the company of friends and well, others,” he smirked letting the insinuation fall between them.

She nodded, “Anything you do just by yourself?”

“Such as?” he inquired.

“I don’t know... sometimes I send random people cupcakes or a throw pillow with lyrics cross-stitched on it.”

Draco laughed. “You’re weird, Granger.”

“Thank you,” she said.

“So you like being called weird?”

Granger thought for a moment, “I suppose I do, mostly because being called normal is the worst thing someone could say to me. Normality is a false construct and aiming for that and perfection is impossible. Weird is doable.”

“What’s cross-stitch?”

“It doesn’t matter.” Granger shook her head. “Come on, Malfoy, what else? What more have you got?”

“Nothing.”

“Nothing? That can’t be true.”

“I still play Quidditch occasionally,”

“And?”

“And... and I may have an actual handwritten database on every whisky I’ve ever tried.”

Hermione laughed. “That’s, like, MY level of nerdiness!”

Draco laughed with her, “I know, but it’s really useful. I don’t just drink whisky to get drunk, I really enjoy it.”

“I know what you mean,” Hermione agreed. “I love that each whisky has a different taste and smell. It’s never boring.”

“Cheers to that,” Malfoy said, clinking her glass. They sat in comfortable silence for a while.

“I’m glad we did this,” Granger said to him. “I was worried it would be awkward and I really didn’t want it to be.”

“Neither.” Draco said. “I thought you’d hate me for everything from back then.”

“No,” Hermione said. “Life’s too short for hate.” She became melancholic for a second but then brightened up.

“I’m happy I have a whisky buddy, no one else I know fully appreciates it,” she rolled her glass in her hand, watching the amber liquid move around the sides.

“Mm, but you better not breathe a word about the database,” he warned her.

“Only if you promise to let me see it sometime,” she agreed. “Have you tried the Japanese whiskies? They are surprisingly-“

It was just then that a striking looking blonde came up to their table. “Draco, I’ve been waiting at your house for hours! Have you been here this whole time?”

“Daphne-“ Draco said, head still fuzzy.

“What are you doing here with- Is that _Hermione Granger_?” she seemed shocked.

“Yep, that’s me,” Hermione said to the statuesque beauty. The woman’s wrap-around dress showed off her gorgeous physique and Hermione appreciated Draco’s taste. 

“We, ah-“

“I was bugging him since he’s the only other whisky drinker here. I was waiting for someone to get out of my house,” she said, tilting her wrist to check her watch again, “They’ve left, so I will, too.”

She shifted out of the booth and made her way out of the bar, pausing at the door to look at Draco who was watching after her. She pointed at the blonde who had taken her seat and then gave him a wink and the thumbs up before pulling open the door and leaving. Draco snorted into his drink.

“You think it’s funny to leave me waiting?” Daphne said, accusatorily.

“To be fair, Daph, I had no idea you were.” He took her hand, massaging it until he felt her relaxing in his grip. “Shall we go back to mine and remedy the grievance?”

The woman across from him nodded and they went to do just that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading!


	7. Chapter 7

The next morning in the office was a lot less jovial since the shots Granger had made them do seemed to have the terrible side effect of creating monstrous hangovers whether you drank much over the course of the evening or not. Draco had trudged in that morning combating the throbbing headache everyone else was also enjoying, but further suffered an abject tiredness from his ministrations to Daphne. She had not left until 5am and he’d only managed 90 minutes sleep before throwing on his Ministry robes and going in for the day. In his state he had even zombie walked to his old office before remembering he was in with the Aurors now. The combination of the morning rush and his head feeling like it was splitting open, he was 15 minutes later than normal.

“Morning,” he said, raspily to those who were present, which seemed to be everyone, except Corner, Finch-Fletchley and Granger.

A few people looked up and gave their greeting, pained expressions on their faces to mirror his own.

Boot came up to him, nursing a coffee, the smell of which Draco fixated on. “Bloody, Granger,” Terry grumbled to his superior. “We go out with her one time and...” he trailed off, rubbing his head. “We’ve had harder nights than that. Fuck me, my head hurts though.”

Draco nodded at the other wizard, before grimacing from the movement.

“You just wait ‘til you see her,” Boot continued. “She’s all sunshine and fucking roses today.”

“How?” Draco said, eyes widening, “She drank the most of all of us.”

“Yeah, but remember after Patil and Corner left she seemed sober all of a sudden, I reckon she must have picked up some secret drinking magics overseas.”

“Has your interest in her cooled then?” Draco asked, a smirk playing his lips.

Boot paused, halfway through taking a sip of his coffee. “No,” he said, glumly “She went and made herself more bloody intriguing didn’t she.”

Draco shook his head at the lost cause his mate was becoming. “How did the trail go earlier?” he asked, bringing the topic back to work.

Terry frowned a bit at that. “Well, as you can tell, it is not a good morning so the first dodgy thing the bastard did I hexed him to hell and dragged him back here. Granger and Potter have been interrogating him upstairs for about half an hour. Oh, no, wait, bloody hell, they’re back. Just looking at her makes my hangover ten times worse.”

Watching the door to the office open, Draco could tell what he meant, Granger was bouncing around Potter. It made Draco ill just to look at her.

“Ooh, that was such a rush!” Granger was saying, skipping in a semicircle around Harry while he tried to move forward, but had to zigzag awkwardly to avoid her. He was grinning through it though even as Granger jabbered around him. “Can we do it again? Let’s go now!” she was saying, grabbing one of his wrists and swinging it back and forth. Draco began walking toward them to get himself a coffee from the kitchen.

“Bloody hell, ‘Mione, calm down,” he heard Potter saying. “Yes, OK, fine, when it’s not so busy here, alright?”

“Yay!” Hermione exclaimed with a happy little wiggle.

“I suppose it’s been a long time since you questioned a suspect,” Patil looked up at the other woman smiling, “Good to see your verve for it hasn’t diminished.”

Potter and Granger looked at her blankly while Draco watched, stirring his coffee.

“Oh, yeah, the suspect talked pretty quickly, couldn’t tell us anything we didn’t already know. He’s been placed in holding awaiting court,” Granger said, “but actually we were talking about banisters.”

“Banisters?” Theo questioned, looking confused and sore with added mental stress from Granger’s bouncy attitude.

“Ah, yeah,” Potter said, laughing a little, while Granger bobbed on the spot, excitement shining on her face. “Hermione got me to prove that the banisters are the perfect sliding angle.”

There was a strange silence in the office. The team leader normally took his authoritarian position seriously as did Draco and while he would come out for drinks with them, he still kept things rather professional and was reserved at those times. This news was a bit of a revelation to the people assembled, Harry was many things, but silly didn’t factor into them. Draco had seen him be spirited and impish at The Burrow before, but never without the company of a few other rambunctious Weasleys to coax it out in him. Draco supposed, Granger was pretty much an extended member of that family though.

Padma broke the pause in conversation as Harry shook an embarrassed hand through his hair. “Isn’t that a little... juvenile?” she said it smilingly, but it was a decent question.

“I prefer freshly youthful,” Granger pouted, sitting down beside the girl and getting back to work on some files they had organized in front of them.

Draco watched as Potter walked past him, indicating he was going to the other man’s office, the implication being he wanted Draco to follow him.

Draco did so and shut the door, heading around to sit behind his desk.

“Sorry,” Potter started. “I heard you all had to deal with a rather... impulsive Hermione last night.”

“She wasn’t that bad, it could have been worse,” Draco told him. “She made us all drink these god-awful shots, though,” Draco blanched even thinking about the hideous concoction.

Harry looked aggrieved for him, closing his eyes and rubbing a finger in the centre of his downturned forehead, “She didn’t make you have a Castrated Bull, did she? She’s the only person who can handle those shots, she says it’s only three typical liquors in there, but from how you feel afterwards, there’s got to be some devil trick, too.”

Draco just raised his eyebrows and nodded in agreement.

“Thanks for staying out with her last night,” Harry said.

“I didn’t do it for her,” Draco replied.

“Even so,” Harry continued. “We had a bit of an argument yesterday, well, you were there, and she wasn’t ready to talk to me yet.”

Draco grunted. He refused to bow to social convention and ask if they were OK when the evidence already pointed that they were.

Harry grinned to himself, watching Malfoy ignore him. Just to antogonize him that bit further, he kept going. “The banister thing was a punishment from her, I had to comply to a spontaneous act for denying her wishes. As you can see, everything seems fine now.”

Hermione popped her head around the corner, “Harry, stop bothering him, he’s hungover and has ‘I don’t care’ written all over his face.” She stopped berating Potter and turned her gaze on Draco. “Oh no,” she said, her face falling, “now he’s giving _me_ a stare that definitely wants to cause pain,” Draco scowled, his head still hurting and not amused by the encounter at all. “It’s getting worse!” Hermione pointed, while Harry silently laughed into his hand. “Look, Harry, it’s graduating into maim, flay, decapitate, scalp, disemb-“ Malfoy couldn’t take any more and sent a blast of magic at the door to shut it again, hearing a ‘Yip’ from the other side to indicate Granger’s shock.

Potter turned back to him. “She really is the most frustrating person to go out with, she gets anti-hangovers where she’s all bubbly and happy, even when we woke up in the bush of the traffic island and Gregor and I were puking our guts out she was all, ‘Right, let’s go get breakfast!’” Harry shook his head.

Malfoy stared. “Who’s Gregor?” he deadpanned, just wanting his office without company and silent.

Harry leaned conspiratorially down at him and said, “We don’t know either!”

Draco just looked at Harry like he was an ant he wanted to burn with a magnifying glass.

“Wait, there is a point,” Potter said to him, pretending half of this hadn’t just been to wind up the wizard in front of him. “It’s for when Hermione is undercover.”

“Go on,” Malfoy said, clasping his hands together over his elbow to form a bridge on the desk.

“She’s good under pressure, except, if anything about him comes up.”

“Weasley, you mean,”

“Yes,” Harry clarified, “she has to stay away from any mention of him during the operation, she’ll crumble otherwise.”

“But Weasley hasn’t been here for...” Draco puzzled, letting the pieces click. “That’s why she went away,” he said.

Harry nodded. “She wanted three years to sort herself out, but I’m worried that she still hasn’t dealt with it. She probably wouldn’t have done so until a month or two before her official return,” Potter looked stressed, anxious for his friend. “Because we needed her back, we have to make sure that she remains in her cold, aloof place, at least until this is over.”

Draco frowned, unhappy with this development. “It might not be a good idea to even have her on the case at all. And she’s hardly cold and aloof.”

Harry waved away that concern. “No, she’s fine for the case, it’s just this one issue. I mean, it is extremely unlikely to be brought up at all.” Malfoy couldn’t help but agree, since this was the first time he had heard Ron’s name mentioned directly since working for the Ministry. Even at The Burrow if they spoke of Ron, he hadn’t heard it. “And Malfoy,” Harry said, very serious now. “This Hermione we have now is a mask. She has a lot of them, all hiding on top of one another. You’ve seen at least two of them.”

Draco recalled her flip-flopping attitude, it melded with what Harry was telling him.

“She’s almost real with me, when she is the person she most wants to be, but there’s still something underneath that, I’ve only seen it slip a few times and it’s always in connection with Ron.”

Draco took all this in, “Why tell me? Doesn’t seem like the sort of thing Granger would want known?” he asked, not wanting to be badgered into his own banister slide. Or something worse.

“Actually, she told me to tell you, in her own way.”

“Meaning?” the Draco frowned, nearly at the end of his tether from the less than pleasant morning.

“Earlier I asked how she was finding everything here and she told me that people were nice to her and that ‘Malfoy is good at listening to things without talking about them.’”

“And you took that as permission to share her private life?”

Harry smiled, “If you come to know Hermione like I do, that’s all you need.” 

“Is that all?” Draco asked with a huffing sigh. He really didn’t much care, they all had trauma from not only the war but the incident that occurred that New Years two years ago. Potter just looked at him and shook his head.

Potter left then, Granger leaping up and skipping around him again. So, Granger left England for three years because of something to do with Weasley. She had acted kind of out there last night because she was upset about the argument with Potter. The argument that had been about Weasley. She had also had that weird melancholy moment while they were drinking whisky and he bet that had to do with Weasley, too. So far he’d seen her be an awkward nerd, seen her matter-of-fact and perceptive and seen her become a social butterfly that talked big and secretly hooked-up co-workers, drinking whisky and downing shots. All these personalities within the space of three days. Draco decided he ought to keep an even closer eye on her to make sure this mission wasn’t jeopardized.

Draco was silent as he remembered the events that stained his and Granger’s memory. A group of Muggles that knew about the Wizarding world had formed an insurgency, they had hidden from Obliviators and joined forces preparing an evil act that came to fruition on that fateful New Years night as it entered 2006. It had been in retaliation for what they had each personally suffered from the Second Wizarding War. New Years had become a special time for wizards in the years post-Voldemort. People celebrated entering a new year without the taint of the dark wizard and there were large public gatherings, the anniversary of Voldemort’s death being a more sombre occasion where they remembered the fallen. Somehow, the Muggles had known where the festival was occurring, they had built bombs buried and placed them around the area as innocuous items or hidden them into the landscape itself. The Department of Magical Games and Sports had been running the event, but of course hadn’t been checking for suspicious Muggle apparatuses on New Years Eve as they had set up the field. The staff had Apparated into the grounds and the illusion charms had only been up that day meaning the Muggle faction had plenty of time beforehand to set up their plan and put the ticking bombs on a countdown to New Years Eve.

Draco had attended the event with his parents who had held a soiree in a private tent. The luxurious furnishings of the room and lush greenery that his mother had designed had been tasteful and he’d enjoyed the night drinking champagne and spending some rather heated quality time with a gorgeous cousin of Theo’s. It had been right after the countdown and the cheers and fireworks began that the explosions started. Eighteen separate bombs had been built around the place. The stage that the Weird Sisters were playing on had collapsed and people were screaming and trying to flee. People who could were Apparating, but many had their children with them and were desperately trying to get out with Portkeys that wouldn’t activate until the following morning. Then people had started running outside the boundaries, only to be met with land mines scattered around the periphery. The panic grew and there was no order, only chaos. Draco had heard his mother screaming for him as himself and Theo’s cousin had stayed in the bathroom they’d sneaked off to. He had yanked the door open and seen his father rush to his wife’s side, pointing at Draco who started towards them. His mother had been beckoning him desperately and he called out to her before another belated explosion went off underneath their tent. He had been blown back by the force but had also managed to see his parents flung away, shrapnel cutting them all over, splintering and impaling. He had known then that they were gone.

87 witches, wizards and children and Muggles had died that day. Over 200 more were injured, and the Ministry had record numbers of PTSD sufferers that had to be treated at St Mungo’s which still continued to this day.

It had been wizard arrogance to think that Muggles posed no threat, that we were the threat to them and not the other way around. An abhorrence and backlash on the Muggle community had surfaced in the wake of the tragedy even though the Ministry had captured all 5 of the terrorists and they had been punished as severely as possible within the Muggle law system, each serving multiple life sentences. This hadn’t been good enough for many people and a spray of Muggle attacks had occurred. The Prime Minister of England had to threaten the Minister of Magic and prove that Muggle technology advanced past bombs and land mines but they had devices that could flatten entire cities. The wizarding community pulled back after that, and despite constant information from the Ministry that it wasn’t all Muggles, just a small group that did this, distrust and hate still abounded. That was why Le Roux’s industry was thriving and also why punishments were so harsh for any who transgressed. It was Shacklebolt’s solid belief that they had to continue the way things had been, trying to rebalance the tenuous peace between the wizarding world and Muggle Britain.

* * *

Over the next few weeks, Draco watched Granger carefully. There had been no repeat performances of that drunken night where one of her masks had slipped and she’d been a little off-kilter. She had integrated herself well into the team, her and Patil having lunch together almost every day, often with a combination of other members of the team or Neville, Ginny or Luna. Corner and Patil were officially together after having gone on a few dates and the office air was sickeningly sweet with their moony looks at each other out in the open. 

All interactions he had one-on-one with Granger, she treated him just the same as anyone else on the team, she was slightly awkward, but friendly, happy and quick to use her mind to their advantage. Boot still had a crush on her that Draco could not fathom. Being attracted to Granger just didn’t make sense to him, what Boot found charming he found embarrassing and her intensity unnerved him still. Not to mention her boring, conservative wardrobe wasn’t appealing at all. Boot claimed he was being superficial. While he had kept an eye on the witch for Potter’s sake, they had not talked socially unless they were in a group of people. He suspected that their drunken ‘whisky buddy’ status had dipped to more of a ‘coincidental whisky appreciator-ship’.

After Granger had been there for almost a month, Shacklebolt wanted them to start moving forward on the infiltration, so Potter called for a meeting in his office with himself, Boot, Nott and Granger. This team were placed under secrecy magics and would make up the secret infiltration team. Even the rest of their office were not to know their activities. “We need to form a plan on how we should start this,” Potter said. “Any ideas?”

“Well,” Granger said, placing a bulging binder on his desk. “I’ve come up with a few, but they all need input from everyone else.”

“What do you think the best one is?” Potter asked her.

Granger sat back in her chair crossing her arms over her ubiquitous button-down shirt while setting her heeled feet squarely on the floor. “I have an idea that might really help this operation and all operations to come.”

“Go on,” Potter said to her while Nott and Boot turned to hear her plan.

“You remember what I told you about Korea when I first got back, Harry?”

“Vaguely, it’s hard to keep up with you sometimes,” Harry rubbed his chin in concentration.

Granger waved it away. “Anyway, I thought we would do a relatively simple operation. I go in with Malfoy or Theo, they introduce me to Le Roux and I circulate, talk to people and leave.”

There was a pause.

“That’s not any different to what we do already,” Nott said, looking askance at Granger. “We need more than that.”

“Exactly.” Granger, smiled at him. “So, I go in, but leave something behind. A bug.”

Harry’s eyes lit up.

“A bug?” Terry asked.

“A Muggle electronic device that remotely lets us hear, and in some cases see what Le Roux will be doing.” Potter answered him, “But Hermione, electronic devices are usually disturbed and malfunction when they are around too much magic and if, as we suspect, Le Roux is manufacturing these new dark artefacts somewhere within the mansion, it won’t work.”

“Ah, but see,” Granger leaned in to speak closer to him, causing Theo and Terry to do the same, interested. “Remember my _friend_ , you saw? He has contacted me and will be coming to London on business, and guess what that business is?”

Potter smiled and his eyes twinkled, “I’m guessing he’s one of the famed innovators you wouldn’t shut up about all the way to The Burrow?”

Granger giggled and sent him a thumbs up. She explained to the rest of them. “An acquaintance of mine has been working to combine Muggle technology with magic and the results have been amazing,” eyes shining, she started to go into detail on the mechanics of it until Potter interrupted her.

“We should just stick to the essentials maybe, we don’t want to lose focus,” he said, smirking at her enthusiasm.

“These Muggle contraptions can gain us access to Le Roux even when none of us are there?” Malfoy asked for clarification.

“Yes,” Hermione said. “We can activate it inside the house. The range is boosted with magic, which is brilliant since seeing a van full of television screens and wires constantly sitting outside the house would be a dead giveaway,” Granger laughed with Harry while the others looked on, not understanding the joke.

“I never understood those films where the hero is all, ‘I think I’m being watched’ and is super paranoid, but doesn’t notice when a large van with a satellite dish on it starts following him.” Potter said.

“I know, right?” Granger exclaimed while they continued their laughter, awkwardly stopping when they saw the blank faces on the other three.

“Oh, you guys really missed out on some stuff growing up as wizards,” Granger said to them.

“Moving on,” Boot said. “What about your disguise Granger? How are we going to do that?”

“She will be posing as a distant cousin of Malfoy’s, Felicia Lestrange.”

Boot did a double-take, “Lestrange, are you sure that’s wise? I mean, after what Bellatrix did to you, you’re OK with adopting that name?”

Granger shrugged. “Why wouldn’t I be? That bitch is dead.” Her eyes quickly flicked to Draco. “Sorry,” she said out of respect for him, not his family member.

Malfoy just scowled a bit, “She was a bitch. In fact, I quite like that Granger is using it, it would make Bellatrix spin in whatever rotting hell she’s in.”

Granger’s lips quirked at that thought.

Potter continued the background of Granger’s cover: “There are tons of Lestranges floating around, mostly on the continent. One of them has let us take her name and identity for this. We found her in a small village in the Swiss Alps and she really is a far removed relation of Malfoy. Not all Lestranges are evil of course, but the name remains notorious here so it is the perfect alter ego. The real Felicia Lestrange has never had contact with anyone even remotely connected to Le Roux so it’s a pretty safe option as well. We have her and her fiancée sequestered in one of our safe houses for the remainder of the mission just in case things get extreme and traces are put out. We will plant Hermione’s disguised image in their home and modify the villagers' memories to see Felicia in their minds as the disguise Hermione will don. Hermione has even made a tricky little charm that uses the Muggle phenomenon that mimics mass hysteria. Everyone will believe the lie until they get snapped out of it with no risk of permanent damage. I know this seems extreme, but Le Roux is known for doing extensive background checks on those he brings into his inner circle.”

“How will you present yourself, Granger?” Nott asked her. “You can’t just go in looking normal.”

“No, I will change my hair colour and eyes too and that should be enough to distinguish me from normal, plus a slathering of makeup of course,” she replied.

“Hmm,” Theo mulled it over. “New guests have to go through tests for Glamour Charms.”

“Yes, and there are rumours that drinks are occasionally spiked with the Polyjuice Potion reverser,” Malfoy added, wondering what surprises Granger had in store to bypass these obstacles. Of course, she did not disappoint.

“Muggles can help us out with that, too. My first entrance into the manor I will just wear a wig and wear coloured contact lenses.”

“And that will work?” Boot asked.

“No magic involved with them whatsoever and that’s all they look for.” Hermione shook her head. “It’s almost too simple.”

Malfoy looked her over and stated, “A makeover would be in order. Le Roux doesn’t associate with anyone of a.. lesser standard than himself.”

“Um. Ouch.” Hermione huffed at him, crossing her arms.

“Mate,” Boot said, nudging Draco in his side. Under his breath he said, “Uncalled for, Malfoy.”

“I’m just being honest,” Malfoy said to the group. “We can’t afford to tiptoe around feelings for something like this. Sorry,” he added as an afterthought.

“Oh, no offense. None taken at all,” Granger said sarcastically, rolling her eyes. “Don’t worry I will use my _feminine wiles_ to make myself all pretty for the primitive visual cortex most of your gender utilises,” she continued, waggling her fingers over the insulting and oft-used ‘feminine wiles’.

“Not me.” Boot piped up. “I use ALL my brain when appraising a woman.”

Draco leaned over to him, “Careful, you essentially just insinuated that she could stand to ante up in the beauty department but you just overlook it.”

Terry blanched and tried to wave his comment away before just slumping back in mortification.

“I don’t doubt Hermione’s capabilities and neither should any of you,” Potter said, fixing them all with a hard stare. “I think that’s all we can do for the moment. Hermione, when is your friend coming?”

“Next week,” Granger replied, packing up her parchment from the note-taking she had done throughout the meeting.

“Is he staying with you?” Potter asked casually, which caused Terry to freeze midway through standing up and even gave Draco pause.

“Probably,” Granger answered, shrugging a shoulder, “I guess we’ll just wing it.”

Draco dragged Boot up by his elbow and pretty much frogmarched him out of the office, Nott ahead of them. He heard Potter ask Granger to remain behind which was a blessing right now.

He closed the office door behind him and released Terry whose eyes were looking glassy. They paused there and Draco knew the two Aurors would go into analysis mode over this development.

“She’s dating someone,” he said.

“She might be dating someone,” Nott clarified.

“She’d be OK with him staying at her place though.”

“That could mean anything,” Theo said, trying to reassure his friend, looking to Draco for help who just shook his head and shrugged. He hadn’t known quite how far Boot’s crush on Granger had gone, he’d seen him look out for her when they went out for drinks and he was friendly and flirty with her in the office, but nothing out of the ordinary. He wasn’t expecting a reaction this extreme. Though he hadn’t seen the Corner-Patil romance tornado either.

“There is a way to find out if you’re wasting your time,” Malfoy said.

Boot looked at him with hope. “How?” he asked, brown eyes wide.

“Ask her out,” Draco said simply.

“I can’t do that,” Terry said adamantly, shaking his head thoroughly.

“Then enjoy your torture.”

“He might be right, mate,” Theo clapped Terry on the shoulder. “At least then you’ll know.”

Just then Potter’s office door opened making Terry panic slightly. “Scatter!” he whisper-yelled, striding down the hall quickly headed somewhere Malfoy couldn’t discern while Theo and him stood there while Granger gave them a quizzical look.

“Something up?” she asked.

“Nope! Not anything. All good here,” Theo said quickly, going down the hall and entering the main office.

Granger turned her stare onto Draco with a slight lift of her eyebrow. He just raised a shoulder in response. “OK,” she said, following Nott through the same door.

* * *

The next day Hermione was just about to walk out of the office for the evening when Terry came up to her.

“Hi, Hermione, can I ask you something?”

“Sure, go ahead,” she answered.

“No, not here, outside, maybe?” Terry responded.

“OK,” Hermione replied, following him out.

Inside, Theo sent Draco a surprised look. “I think Boot’s taking the plunge,” he said.

“Looks like it,” Draco said, feeling surprised at the reaction he was having. He honestly didn’t think Terry would have the guts to ask her out, he felt uneasy at it. 

Outside, Terry was nervous and ran a sweaty hand down the side of his robes. Exhaling, he decided to go for it, especially since she was slightly distracted and rummaging in her bag for something.

“Doyouwanttogooutwithme?” he rushed out.

“OK,” Hermione replied, still looking for something.

Terry stood in stunned silence. “Did you, um, did you hear me properly?”

“Ah, found it!” Hermione said, pulling out a quill and her origami crane to quickly send off a message and finally looked at him, smiling. “You asked me out, right? I like you, so I said OK, do you want to go now?”

Terry spilt into a wide grin, “Oh! Yes, absolutely! Let me just get my stuff and we can leave.”

“Alright,” Hermione replied, ”I’ll meet you by the main hall Floo’s then?”

“Sounds good, I’ll be there in a few minutes.” Terry watched her as she headed towards the elevator, waving at him once as she waited for it to reach their floor. Heading back inside the office, he went and grabbed his stuff while Theo interrogated him.

“Did you ask? What did she say? Did she say yes? Where are you going?”

“’Yes’. ‘OK’. ‘Yes’ and ‘Out’. Those are the answers to your questions, I’ll see you in the morning.” 

He hurried out of the office while Theo gaped around at everyone still left inside.

“Aw, that’s sweet,” Padma said while Michael helped her into her cloak and kissed her cheek.

“Looks like we might have another couple to join us for date nights,” Justin said. “Sy’s been wanting to get to know her more, he might get his chance.” He stood up and headed out with Patil and Corner leaving just Theo and Draco in the office before Potter popped his head through the door.

“Hermione gone already?” he asked.

“She’s on a date with Boot,” Nott told him, incredulously.

“Oh, good,” Harry replied smiling, “I think she’s been a bit lonely lately.” He left as well creating a vacuum of silence that encompassed the office as the other men grappled with the news. Draco felt even more unsettled by this. Not only had he misjudged Boot, but Granger, too. He never actually believed she would say yes. He wasn’t sure why this was quite so unnerving for him, but he didn’t like being unsure of the people he surrounded himself with.

“Can you believe that?” Theo asked him, bringing Draco out of his reverie. “Can you actually believe that just happened?”

“No,” Draco stated flatly. “Fuck, I need a drink.”

Theo nodded and they headed off to The Leaky Cauldron. They drank mostly in silence, Theo occasionally spouting out things like, “But it’s _Granger_ ,” and “No one’s ever had a shot with her before, aside from Weasley,” and “Seriously, what the fuck?”

Draco couldn’t help but agree with Theo’s sentiments and it was only an hour or so before he decided he needed a stronger distraction and went home with a button-nosed girl with brown hair that happened to be curly, but this wasn’t a reflection on Granger, he told himself. She was just the fittest one there. She was shy in bed and entirely unsure of what she wanted or how to ask for it, he left right afterwards before she’d even fallen asleep.

* * *

Hermione arrived home after her date with Terry and took her shoes off in the entryway, placing them in the shelves inset into the wall by the door. She had been unsurprised that Terry had asked her out of course, he had been rather unsuccessful in hiding the surreptitious glances he kept sending her way and the little chivalrous things he did for her, opening the office door, getting her coffee and the like. He was sweet and funny and she liked his company so she had said yes. She knew enough to know that you didn’t have to be devastatingly attracted to someone at the start for a good relationship to form and she was willing to give Terry a try.

She went into the kitchen and poured herself a glass of wine, before going out the French doors to the spa pool. She turned the bubbles on and set some relaxing music to play. 

Shucking her clothes onto the ground, Hermione climbed into the spa nude and let the jets massage her back. Taking a sip from her wine, she looked out at the London skyline.

She thought about her date with Terry. It had gone quite well, they had eaten at a cute cafe which specialised in desserts, ordering only sweet things for entree and main as well as dessert on her suggestion. Terry had taken the challenge of finding the best dish well but they had ended up disagreeing at the end, she thought the praline and pistachio cheesecake was the best, while he insisted that the raspberry self-saucing brownie was the most amazing dessert he had ever had. They had talked about his family and stories she’d missed about the Ministry when she was away. She told him a very abridged version of her travels. They had laughed and conversed well, there was a spark of attraction there, and she was looking forward to seeing him again if he decided he could handle her proposal. At the end of the evening, she had turned to him before he could even try and make a move.

“I’m not going to kiss you tonight,” she told him.

“OK,” he laughed, “I appreciate you being candid.”

“I have some stuff to say,” she said, affecting a blush. “I would really like to date you, but-“

“Uh-oh, buts are never good in these conversations,” he said.

“Sorry,” she told him, “but this needs to be said.” He was patient which she appreciated while she thought how to best approach this. Turning to him, she decided to just come out with it, “I know this is a bit presumptuous but I’m not ready to be exclusive,” she looked up at him to see his reaction. He seemed disappointed, but accepted what she said.

“I’d like you to think about what you want,” she continued. “I still want to be free to see other people, the same going for you, too.”

Terry had thought about it a bit before answering, “Is this because of that guy that’s coming with the bugs?”

“Not specifically, but he’s an example,” she had replied.

“Sorry, to ask this, but I just want to clarify,” Terry had started, waiting for her approval before continuing. “By dating, you mean you would be sleeping with other people as well as me if we got that far?”

“Yes,” she’s answered honestly, “but never on the same night, of course.” His look of shock made her kick herself mentally, of course he wouldn’t have even considered that, now he probably would think about the possibility more than if she’d said nothing.

“Can I think about it?” he answered her, not sounding angry or sad, just wonderingly.

“Of course,” she’d replied hastily, “Take as much time as you like.”

He had taken her hand and kissed her knuckles after that, his eyes sparking with mischief.

“You said you wouldn’t kiss me, but I never agreed on my end,” he had said while she giggled. “I’ll say good night now.” Then he walked down the street and sent her a wave before Apparating.

She worried that he would think badly of her for the request, but it was best to say now rather than further down the track on the third or fourth date.

Next, she thought about what Harry had told her in his office the previous day. He wanted her to tellMalfoy that she intended to seduce Le Roux to gain greater access to the mansion since they needed to plant a bug somewhere Le Roux would consider private and safe. She knew exactly what Malfoy would think and she sighed. He had made no secret of the fact that he found her appearance at the office too bland and boring to be very tantalising. While he seemed to have changed for the better in many respects, his value on superficial aspects was still very much intact. She found it very vexing that he had a low opinion of her in this regard when she knew that she could blow him away if given the chance. Although she did know that Malfoy respected her mind. He asked for her opinion often and she had noticed his unconscious nods of being impressed when she shared her ideas in meetings. Her idea of incorporating Muggle technology with their operation in their last discussion with Harry and the others had made him send her a deep piercing gaze with his grey eyes, glinting with esteem. 

She knew that she was bothered by his opinion of her physically because she was attracted to him. She had admitted so much to Harry and Ginny and it had not diminished by getting to know him. In fact, his dry wit and stoic nature that belied a finely tuned intellect made her desire him more. Knowing she was not allowed to have him, expressly forbidden by Harry, made it even worse, surely Harry knew her enough that being told she couldn’t meant she would want to cross that boundary even more. Hermione smiled to herself. It was very possible that Harry _did_ know that but was just messing with her. In fact, if she was dating Terry, she couldn’t see why Malfoy would be off limits. He had definitely been messing with her.

In the midst of these thoughts, she had begun touching herself under the water. She pushed herself around so that her front was turned into the wall of the tub, positioning her bud over where the jet was pulsing water, moaning at the sensation, her nipples becoming hard. Feeling her wet hair pooling around her turned her on even more and she slid her breasts up the edge of the plastic siding, the abrasiveness on her nipples sending jolts of pleasure through her, to her surprise. She repeated the action. Again and again and again, she closed her eyes, imagining that Malfoy was in there with her, taking her from behind as she moved with the imaginary motion. She bit down on her bottom lip at the images in her brain, faster, faster, faster and then the fantasy of them climaxed and she did too, crying out in pleasure, the waves flooding her mind. Opening her eyes after the crest of the orgasm subsided, she turned herself around again, relishing the throbs from the after effects of the act and the massage of the jet on her back.

This was the ‘her’ that she loved best. Free and relishing in a fantasy. Turning off the bubbles, she tipped her head back, realising she had been in there for a few hours and the sky was midnight blue, twinkling with stars. She smiled, floating. 

It was a while yet before she cast a quick drying spell before slipping into her bed and sleeping a few hours before having to get up for work. Instead of being sluggish, however, she felt energised and not even having to put on her boring work clothes killed her mood. She made a concession to wear a fitted, black skirt that followed her curves , with a ruffle flirting around the bottom. A sexy lingerie set already on, she covered the longline bra up with a flowy cream blouse that tucked nicely into the pencil skirt. Looking at herself in the mirror, she winked at herself and said, “Draco Malfoy, today you will know me,” before going to the entryway and putting on a pair of black pumps and leaving for the office.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Draco had been going over some notes with Theo when Terry came in. He looked deep in thought, sitting down absently and fiddling with a quill, staring at nothing in particular and tilting his head.

Theo glanced at Draco, “What the fuck is _that_?” he intoned, jerking his head at their colleague.

“Boot,” Draco addressed him, “What are you doing?”

“Hm?” Terry said, looking up vacantly at them. “Oh, uh, nothing.” There was a pause. “Actually, I might need some advice, can we use your office, Malfoy?”

Draco indicated his assent and they started towards the room followed closely by the suspicious eyes of Zabini, the only person in the office who was unaware of what had happened yesterday, having been on a trail for all of it. Terry paused to acknowledge him, “You should come too, I think I’m going to need as much of a sounding board as possible.”

“OK,” Zabini said, standing to follow them as well.

Once they were sequestered away, Draco locked and Silence’d the place for security and they waited for Terry to begin.

Terry huffed his breath out and started, the others being too wary of his bizarre behaviour to say anything. “OK, here goes, so Hermione and I got on really well last night.”

“You went out with _Granger_?” Zabini burst out. “Fuck me, that deserves a drink.”

“Where were you twelve hours ago,” Draco said, drolly.

Theo whirled his arms, “Moving on, what happened then?” he said to Terry.

“It was a really good date, we laughed and talked and all the normal good date things, but-“

“Oof, ‘buts’ never mean anything good,” Zabini said, sucking in a breath. Terry silently waved at him in agreement before continuing.

“Well, afterwards she said, ‘I’m not going to kiss you tonight’.”

“She specified that it was ‘tonight’? She’s open to the future possibility?” Theo asked, looking at Terry, who looked at Draco who nodded in agreement.

“She only wants to date though, she wants to see other people and said I could do the same. She told me to take some time to think it over and get back to her.”

The other three men stared at him.

“Well,” Terry said, “what do you think?”

Theo started, crossing his arms, “Did she specify what ‘dating’ meant to her?”

“I asked her outright,” Terry replied. “I wanted to know if that meant she would sleep with others as well as me. She said yes.”

“Fucking hell, Granger,” Zabini said, shaking his head. “This isn’t something I would have expected from her. Never in a million years.”

Draco was inclined to agree with him, the Order’s Princess had only, to his knowledge, been with one man, who they were no longer allowed to talk about around her. Although, her mentioning a “friend” at the meeting in Potter’s office made a lick more sense now. It made him feel unsettled again to know his judgements about her were still off. His stomach roiled against the information he’d learned.

“I was bloody surprised, myself. She was so matter-of-fact about it though, it helped keep me calm.” Terry said, scratching his head, clearly still perplexed with the situation. He blushed a bit. “There’s more though. She said definitively that she wouldn’t sleep with two partners in one night. That really threw me, do you think she was lying?”

“No,” Draco said. The others turned to him. “One thing about Granger that has been consistent is her honesty, if she says something, she means it. You don’t have to think about that.”

“I agree,” Theo nodded. “Granger wouldn’t go that far.”

“Even so,” Blaise rejoined, “it’s a lot to think about, what are you going to do?”

“That’s why I’m telling you lot, this is the advice part of our little chat,” Terry looked round at the three of them, waiting for their replies.

“I’d still go for it,” Zabini answered him. “I mean, she’s been pretty up front, so I’d see where it heads.”

“I wouldn’t,” Theo said, “I can’t share what I consider mine, so I’d back down now.”

They all looked at Draco for the tiebreaker. He contemplated a bit before starting, “Did she make any indication that she would consider being monogamous in the future?”

Terry’s face fell, “No, she didn’t, but she didn’t say anything exclusively against it either.”

Draco mulled that over as well as everything else. “I would take what she actually did say and not what she left unsaid to base my judgement.”

“Meaning?” Terry prompted him.

“Meaning I don’t think she has the intention to work toward a commitment.”

Terry nodded, thinking over the advice.

“That’s pretty much your answer right there. Just ask yourself if you would want to eventually become monogamous or not. If the answer is yes, maybe you shouldn’t pursue it any further,” Draco continued.

“That is something I’d want. I guess that’s that then.” Terry said, dejectedly. “Aw, what a waste.”

Theo clapped him on the back, “Better you find out now, mate,” he said, tapping the other man twice in a gesture of commiseration.

“At least Granger isn’t here yet, I’ll need to think about what I should to say to her.”

“She is here,” Zabini said.

Terry froze, “What?”

“She is here,” Blaise repeated, slowly. “She was in the kitchen getting a drink. You were kind of out of it, so-“

Terry moved in the blink of an eye, striding across the office and reaching for the door.

“You might not want to-“ Draco started, too late as Terry wrenched it open. “-do that,” he finished as the four of them were confronted by Granger standing right outside the office, making Terry double back in surprise. She turned her lamp-like stare on all of them in turn and tilted her head quizzically. Draco knew she couldn’t hear what was going on inside the room but her uncanny aptitude for being weird meant he just knew she would be there.

“Sup guys,” she said, “Coffee?” she offered Boot the mug she was holding before turning and heading away from them. “Terry? Come with me for a sec,” she said as she headed for the hallway.

Terry turned to them in horror. The others just stared at him at a loss for what to say. Boot turned back and followed her through the office and out the door.

Theo saluted him and they went back to work, well, they pretended to work while secretly waiting to see what would transpire.

Hermione stood outside of the office, Terry appearing a fair few seconds later. His coffee was drooping in his hand, almost spilling over, so Hermione waved her wand to transport it back to the kitchen, which he didn’t even seem to notice.

“I’m guessing you’ve thought about what I said last night?” she asked him.

“I did, sorry I told those guys, but this is a new situation for me,” he said, bashfully.

“Don’t worry about it, I don’t mind,” she smiled at him brightly.

“Hermione, I, uh, Merlin this is hard! I want to be dating someone exclusively, sorry, but I can’t go into this without that being the end goal. There’s no chance of that is there?”

Hermione looked up at him, “Not right now there isn’t, I’m still-,” she paused before backtracking. “I understand that’s not good enough for you. You’re a good guy, Terry.”

“Thank you for being honest with me, though,” Terry said, “it would have been really hard for me further down the road if you’d sprung it later.”

“I’m sorry it didn’t work out,” Hermione answered truthfully. Terry was really great and the possibility of something slow and nice would have been welcome.

On a whim she leaned up on her tiptoes and kissed him on the mouth, enveloping his lower lip with both of hers. He kissed back, and it was soft and charming. She would have liked to do that more, but this was a goodbye to potential, not the beginning of it.

Setting herself back down, she opened her eyes back up and looked at him. They smiled at each other as an unspoken accord was struck.

“That was nice,” Terry said.

“Yes, it was,” she agreed. “Tell you what, I have this friend I think would be really good for you. She actually reminds me a lot of myself, back in Hogwarts before the war.”

Terry couldn’t help but light up. “I mean, that would be great, not that I don’t still like you but-“

“No need to explain,” Hermione said. “I’ll set it up.” This was the least she could do for him. He had mostly been interested in the person she used to be, and she thought he maybe projected that onto his interactions with her. Sadly for him, she wasn’t that person anymore, but she could give him a chance with someone that was more similar to what he was seeking. Cadney was lovely, a couple of years older than them and caring but full of fire and an excellent debater. She worked for the Conservation of Magical Animal Habitats and was very passionate about it. She had intimated the last time Hermione had seen her while lunching with Luna that she would be open to any dating opportunities, so it worked out quite nicely. Well, except for herself, but Jun-ki was coming next week so she could scratch the itches that had built up in her since coming back to London when he got here.

“I have to go see Padma and Justin about some research I want them to look into, but they are in a meeting with Harry, so I’m going to pop in there, you go back,” she said.

“OK,” Terry replied. “And Hermione?” She paused. “Thanks.” She smiled at again and headed down the hall to Harry’s office. She could have just told the two researchers what she needed later and not interrupt the meeting, but she thought it would be better for Terry to give the guys a run-down on the aftermath of their conversation. She needed to see her friend right now as well. She was going to have to blow off some steam. As laid back as she was with the situation, rejection was never fun, she needed a release and asking Harry and Ginny out for drinks later seemed like a damn good way to go about it.

Draco looked up to see Terry come in. He was smiling, which was another reaction he hadn’t expected.

“What happened?” Theo asked.

“We talked about it and decided it wouldn’t work out, then she kissed me.” Terry said nonchalantly, just waiting for their reaction.

Zabini spluttered into his coffee and Draco froze beside Theo.

“So, she kissed you after you broke up?” Theo gaped. “I do not get it, I just don’t,” he said, raising his hands above his head in confusion.

“I don’t think you can call it a breakup after only one date,” Terry replied. “She’s also going to set me up with a friend of hers. She thinks we’ll get on well.”

“Who the fuck is she?!” Theo exclaimed. “Seriously, who is she and what did she do with the prissy Granger from school.”

“Looks like that girl is long gone,” Zabini said, finally able to speak after an epic coughing fit from inhaling his drink.

Draco felt unsettled yet again. It had been a pleasant sort of feeling when Terry had said that they’d called it off but changed once he’d recounted how Granger had kissed him. He set to working on arranging tactics for where Boot and Nott would be placed when Granger and himself began the infiltration, fully immersing in the work to keep occupied.

It was later that afternoon, the day burgeoning on twilight, when Granger stepped back into the main office a couple of minutes after Padma and Justin. Once she had gone into Harry’s office, they had gotten into a conversation about Justin’s new theories about the dark artifacts the ring was creating and why their trace disappeared. They had spent the majority of the day discussing the idea from various angles. Harry had held her back quickly at the end.

“I really think you need to approach Malfoy about the real plan for Le Roux. You and I both know that you are going to have to plant a bug in his private quarters.” Hermione nodded at this. Their information told them that Le Roux used various rooms around the mansion to entertain his guests in a one-on-one capacity, but none of them went into the locked and guarded areas behind the public spaces.

“It’s riskier for you personally, but I know you’ll be able to do this,” Harry continued. “You’re not worried about what you might have to go through though? Even after knowing his predilections in the bedroom?”

“That doesn’t bother me, we do it for the scars and stories, right?” Hermione shrugged truly unaffected by what she was taking on. As had been pointed out, it wouldn’t be as bad as Uzbekistan.

“But, ‘Mione-“ Harry started.

“No, Harry, listen, I’ll be able to figure this guy out and make myself safe. I promise you,” she looked imploringly at him. “Don’t worry, I’ll be fine.”

Harry gave her a hard stare before relenting, “You’re probably right, but this is the first time I am overseeing one of these activities with you and it’s a bit weird.”

“Just talk with me, if we are straight up about things, it won’t be so bad,” Hermione replied. “Oh, by the way, are you and Ginny free for drinks tonight? I might invite Luna and Neville, too. What do you think?”

“Sounds fine by me, I’ll run a message through to Ginny,” Harry said. “Is there a special occasion for this?” he inquired.

“I need to let loose since Terry decided he couldn’t date me without wanting a commitment attached, and you know I can’t do that,” Hermione told him.

“Sorry it turned out that way, Terry’s a good guy, and I was hoping it would work out for you.” Harry answered.

“That’s OK, for the best really, I told him I’d set him up with Cadney so I’ll send her a message later to meet up before catching the rest of you guys. The Leaky Cauldron? Probably around 8?”

“Sounds good, I’ll send the word around,” Harry said before she left.

She closed the door and leaned back against it, smirking to herself, Harry had pretty much just given her permission to blow off some steam right here in the office. Standing up and throwing her shoulders back, a smoulder starting to burn in her eyes, the pact she had made this morning was about to come true, Malfoy would finally see what she was capable of.

She headed back into the Auror office seeing Padma and Justin filling the rest of the team in on what they discussed in the meeting with Harry. They all looked very engrossed in the plans and research the two had spread out on the table. Quickly sending her crane off to Cadney to tell her to meet at seven-thirty in Diagon Alley, she turned her attention back to her co-workers.

“Malfoy, Harry wants me to run something by you, can we go to your office?” she said, already walking there.

Draco grumbled. “Why is it such a busy place today?” he muttered before slouching in there himself.  
She was sitting in the chair in front of his desk, spinning in circles, waiting for him. He walked around and sat on the opposite side and leaned back, raising his eyebrows in a silent intimation for her to begin talking. She shot him an innocent grin before starting.

“About Le Roux. We need to gain access to his inner rooms, his... private rooms,” she began. “Placing a bug in there would give us information he would only spill when he was sure he was safe.”

“I agree.” Draco said, looking at her intently, he had been thinking the same and had started devising some intricate plans that would get one of them in there to place the device, hopefully without being caught, but even his best ideas all involved taking out at least one guard, and that would cause a lot of problems they had to account for.

Hermione stared at him, he was looking at her in that intense way again. She could see the finely tuned cogs of his mind were spinning and it turned her on that he had obviously already thought this far ahead. She could practically see the plans winding themselves through his brain. Plans that would require complex co-ordination and more than a little luck even with the utmost care put into them.  
“Good,” she said in reply before casually adding, “So I was thinking I ought to seduce him.”

Draco was taken aback but then well and truly laughed out loud. “Granger, you can’t do it,” he said. “Look at you! There’s no way you could pull off an elaborate seduction.” He paused in thought, “The idea would work though, it would eliminate a lot of risks. Chang might come back for this if the incentives are right,” he continued, watching Hermione fiddle with the hem of her formal, but decidedly unsexy cotton blouse.

“You’re right, Malfoy,” Hermione sighed, looking over at him. She ran a hand through her hair, letting it flop back onto the side of her face. “We have no time to try and wrangle someone else in though. It would take at least six weeks to prep them and bring them up to speed. We need to get onto this as soon as possible, especially with the Minister putting pressure on us, we need to clinch this and quickly,” she huffed and crossed her arms. Looking back at Draco, she leaned on the desk towards him. “How about I try it on you?”

“What?” Draco spluttered before laughing at her again. “How would that work?”

“Well, you are completely unmoved by me, right?” Hermione replied, shooting some dorky finger-guns at him, adding to his amusement, but not achieving any form of sexiness whatsoever.

“Correct,” he said, “More correct than usual right now.”

“Exactly!” Hermione said, eyes shining. “If I can make myself seem sexy to you, that would definitively prove that I can do this. Also, since you’re such a slag, you have a lot to compare to,” she winked at him to show she was joking, well, half-joking.

Draco couldn’t believe he was hearing this, but he couldn’t fault her logic. There was no attraction hiding within him in regards to Granger. Always dressed conservatively with her dowdy blouses with careful, light makeup, she was right that he was unmoved. They had formed a sense of camaraderie as colleagues, but she was just not in his league. He preferred outgoing, unsubtle bedmates who went for what they wanted with gusto. The humiliation Granger would undergo in her inevitable failure, however, would sustain him in entertainment value for months to come. Crossing his arms, and looking smugly across at her, he said, “Fine, you’re on, Granger. Don’t be too embarrassed when you don’t succeed.”

“OK!” Hermione said, excited by a challenge as always. She stood up and looked around the room a little awkwardly. “Um, just stay sitting there and, um, close your eyes.”

Draco chuckled while doing as requested. “’Um’ is how all my girls start their seduction. Doing well so far.”

“Really?” she asked, sounding optimistic.

“No.” Draco deadpanned. “Of course not. The women I sleep with are usually confident and know what they want. There are no mincing words, let alone ‘Um’.”

“Oh, right.” Hermione said, locking the office door and placing a silencing charm around it. She scraped a chair over and secured it under the door handle for good measure.

“What are you doing?” Draco asked, still with obediently closed eyes.

“Securing the door, I don’t want anyone to walk in on this.”

Draco laughed again, amused by her ineptitude.

Hermione turned and paused, looking at Draco in the desk chair across the room behind his desk. _Right, Malfoy_ , she thought, _now I’m going to show you just how wrong you are about me_.

His ears pricked to the sound of ruffling and he heard something fall to the floor. Was she taking off her clothes? He tried to open his eyes, but noticed she’d put a charm on him to prevent that. Clever witch.

“Grang-“

“Shh.” Hermione said, still a few feet away from him. “I’ve decided on no talking as well.” Draco felt the charm slide into him and take effect, lodging in his throat.

Hermione surveyed him again; she had taken off her flowy blouse and held it in the crook of her finger strategically before letting it drop, knowing he would be straining to hear. She knew he was wondering what she was up to, with two of his faculties restricted, his face couldn’t maintain its usual smirking facade. This manoeuvre would pique his interest and give him the contact with her skin that she needed to make a full impact, not that he knew that yet. He looked wary, but not uncomfortable. She was wearing a saucy black corset-style bodice with dark green accents that curved over her breasts nicely today. The skirt actually clung to her hips well without the shirt over the top to obscure them and she was certain she would completely surprise him. She charmed her hair, leaving it soft with a well-formed abundance of curls. This was going to be fun. Very fun. 

“I’m going to start now,” she called. He nodded in response, and she noticed he swallowed in anticipation. _Maybe not completely unmoved then, huh, Malfoy?_ she thought before smiling confidently to herself and sauntered over, her heels clicking slowly, again for his benefit.

She had picked up a couple tricks in India and she used one of them now, pulling an aura. She could see the silver flecks that flickered around Malfoy. Her own was dark red and she pulled a mist of lust out to surround her, permeating the room with it. 

She walked behind Draco’s chair and lightly placed her hand on his shoulder to let him know she was there before loosening his tie and popping a few buttons by gripping his shirt and pulling swiftly, inhaling breathily so he could hear her reaction to his pale, tautly muscled chest beneath. Oh, he smelled so good, his cologne was very subtle, woody and spicy, notes of darkness and allure, there was no safety in it, it made her salivate. Malfoy hitched his breath in surprise and she knew he was already being affected by her. _Almost too easy_ , she thought to herself, grinning.

Taking the tie off completely, she bound his hands through the slats at the back of the chair the way her Auror training had taught her to so he couldn’t get out of it without magic. Bending back up, she ran the back of her fingers down the side of his neck before draping her arms over him from behind and playing with the skin peeking below the collar of his shirt, all while pressing her lace-covered breasts into his shoulder blades. “How am I doing?” she said, softly and low, her breath tickling the fine hairs of his right ear and knowing he couldn’t reply. He shifted a bit in his chair, but otherwise remained still, listening intently to her movements. Her silky hair flowed over her shoulder and pooled across the open expanse his shirt now provided, and she knew it would feel good.

Tracing soft fingers along his collarbone, Hermione gently nipped the skin of Draco’s ear, just above the lobe. It was barely a graze, but she felt his heartbeat racing along the pulse points in his neck and his breath became ragged. He was being manipulated by her aura but it only heightened what was already there.

Being able to see his aura showed Hermione exactly where he would be most affected. His pleasure points pulsing as his aura swirled. Her own mixed lazily with his, massaging and caressing even at the soul level. She knew it was irresistibly addictive if she wasn’t careful.

Hermione kissed the sensitive skin behind Draco’s ear and moved her lips down his neck while removing her arms from the same area, making humming noises against him as she went to show her enjoyment in the act. She spun his chair around to face her, smirking to see his flushed cheeks and laboured breathing. She licked up the centre of his lips in one swift motion, but did not kiss him, knowing just how much he wanted it right then. “You know,” she said, so close to his lips that they were only millimetres apart, sharing breaths, “I think I can do even better than this.”

Trailing her hands down his thighs and widening them slowly, she knelt between them and untucked his shirt from his black trousers, appreciating the flash of pale skin from his abs. She fiddled with his belt buckle, but did not undo it. Draco’s breath quickened and he shifted a little, an anticipatory gesture this time. She knelt up to be within kissing distance from him again. “You can open your eyes now,” she whispered in a sultry fashion.

Draco opened them, his gray eyes meeting her gaze with a hungry animal lust. He still couldn’t talk, she didn’t want him to just yet and she let him know by tilting her head to the side and rubbing a finger over his lips, staring at her own movement. They were soft and she wanted to taste them, but it was more fun not to just now.

Hermione didn’t show him her inner amusement, but instead she looked back into his eyes intensely and breathed heavily through her chest, making it go up and down more noticeably, causing him to glance down at her cleavage ensconced in the corset-style bodice normally hidden behind the professional shirts she wore to work.

His eyes showed his surprise and when he looked back up at her, she leaned into his ear again, giving him an even better look at her chest as she tickled that part of him a second time, “You can talk now,” she breathed, lustily.

“Holy fuck!” Draco shouted as Hermione leaned back to face him again. Within one second he had said the release word for the binding on his hands and grabbed Hermione by the base of her neck, holding her inches away from him. His breathing intensified even more to see that she was as turned on by this as he was judging by her heightened colour and the almost dangerous look in her eye. He hadn’t really noticed that beyond the dowdy clothing, she was very striking to look at, melting chocolate pools in her eyes and her mouth perpetually pouty and pink. He tried to pull her towards him to kiss her, but she quickly put a finger on his lips as a buffer. He stared at her as her eyes twinkled and she shook her head at him. He slid his hand around so his thumb could caress her mouth instead and, while still looking at him dead in the eye, Hermione took his thumb in her mouth and sucked it, her tongue dancing across it with a skill he wished was being performed elsewhere.

“Fucking hell, Granger!” Draco said, almost mad with lust, “Where the fuck did you learn all this?”

“Why? Are you moved?” she said, accentuating her lip movements just a tiny bit more than usual, delighted when his eyes followed them and his grip on her tightened.

“Yes, I’m moved. Very fucking moved!” he gestured down to his ready to burst erection.

Hermione looked down at it for a second and smiled, her job done, then rolled her head out from under his grasp and stood up in one swift movement. His jaw fell open, how did she do that so fluidly? Like she was used to it.

Hermione walked over to her shirt and picked it up off the floor, bending at the waist, knowing Malfoy would still be following her form in the tight skirt. She put her arms through the sleeves and began re-buttoning herself. “So, I can do it, right?” she said casually over her shoulder. No response from Draco who was still recovering in the chair. She finished the last few buttons and patted herself down to look respectable for the office again. Turning slowly, she was unsurprised to find he had snuck up silently to be right behind her. She raised an eyebrow at him.

His steely gaze was right on Hermione and she gave him the same smirk he always had ready to use on her.

“You’re not surprised to find me here?” he asked.

“Of course not,” she said.

“Why?” he replied.

“Frankly, I’m surprised you didn’t just flip me on top of the table and jump me from your reaction to my performance. Sorry,” she said flippantly, shrugging her shoulder. “I probably went too far, but I’m competitive and you were so sure that I would fail.”

Draco stared at her. Where was the girl from before, the dorky, spinsterish model employee of the Ministry? “Is this some kind of game to you?” he said, narrowing his eyes.

Hermione laughed. “Yes, it is,” she smiled at him, “it’s a game to you, too, and Malfoy, you _love_ games.” She sent him a wink and began removing the chair and wards from the door.

“I don’t like this one,” Draco stated bluntly.

Hermione replied blithely, “Only because you lost.”

“No, that’s not it –“ Draco started before Hermione cut him off.

“Malfoy, you agreed to this. You should have known this was a possibility.”

”No, I didn’t know! Have you seen you? There was no way in hell I would have had this reaction.”

“But you did,” she said, matter-of-factly.

“This is so frustrating!” Draco growled, shaking a stressed hand through his hair. “Why am I so mad? Am I interested in you now or something?”

“No,” Hermione replied. “You’re just feeling the effects of the aura still. You are weirded out that you had such a strong response and your body is trying to misplace it elsewhere. Don’t worry you won’t catch feelings.” She grinned up at him and pointed to herself, “I’m pretty good though, aren’t I?”

Relieved at having his turbulent feelings explained away by Granger, Draco relaxed his shoulders and nodded. “Merlin, yes. But _how_ are you so good at it? You never answered that.”

“Oh, you know how I’ve spent a couple years travelling and ‘finding myself’?”

Draco nodded.

“Well, I ‘found myself’ with a lot of fun people who taught me fun things,” she smiled again and dragged her tongue slowly down the corner of her upper lip grazing her canine as she went. Draco had seen her do it before, but had never realized how sexy it was. Hermione continued, “I actually have done this sort of work for the Ministry before. That’s why I dress like this. People know me, but they think I’m prim and boring and a bit of a weirdo. They never suspect that I could possibly fuck their secrets out of them and that’s a useful tool for a spy.”

Draco shook his head to wrap it around this new information. Did she really just say ‘fuck the secrets out of them’? He liked this liberated Hermione. “Does Potter know about this?” he asked, not being able to believe he could.

“Of course,” she said casually.

“If the Ministry knows about this version of you-“

“Not ‘this version’, Malfoy, this is the real me,” she interrupted.

“Alright, well, why did we have do this trial in the first place?”

“Ooh, smart puppy!” Hermione clapped her hands together sarcastically. “Have you met _you_? You have the ultimate authority on this mission but even if the Minister himself had said I could do this kind of thing, you never would have believed it.”

He nodded at the ground, realizing the truth in this. He looked back at her and found her looking towards the door like she wanted to get out of there.

“You can leave, you know.” Draco said. He was still feeling odd from the Granger-180, but she was acting normal, so he would, too.

Hermione raised her eyebrows and said, “Even with that?” Pointing at his crotch which was still at full mast. _Fuck_ , thought Draco.

“It’s because I keep reliving what you did,” he said indignantly. Which was true, those minutes would be lodged in his brain all night.

“I’ll take it as a compliment then,” Hermione said, glancing at her watch. “I need to go though, I have to meet someone, maybe you should reset the wards after I leave and knock one out to make it go down.”

Draco reeled at her candid nature regarding her suggestion he toss off in his office and also her casual mention of meeting someone. _Is she going on another date right now?_ he thought to himself, that unsettled feeling in his stomach returning. He would focus on the startling fact that Hermione Granger, _HERMIONE GRANGER_ , had just told him to go masturbate. “Who even are you?” he said incredulously.

“Hermione Granger, at your service!” she mock saluted him.

“If that’s the case, I may require more servicing,” Draco smouldered down at her.

Hermione looked at him for a few seconds as if considering it, but then said, “No, the first one can’t be a quickie and I really have to go,” she put her hand on the doorknob to leave, but turned back and grinned wickedly at him, “Oh, and Malfoy, remember as you grip yourself hard and pump away, that the thumb you’re using is the one I sucked,” she poked her tongue out at him and winked before disappearing.

Draco heard the door click while staring at the approximate space where Granger had just been. Shaking himself out of it, he hastily locked the door again and unbuckled himself, collapsing in the chair and doing exactly what she told him to. He was finished very quickly in only a few strokes since he was so riled up and he sat back staring at the ceiling. “Granger...” breathed, closing his eyes and recounting everything that had happened in this exact seat. It wasn’t long before he required a round two and he was finally able to gather his wits enough to leave his office for the night.

Knowing this new Granger, he was already looking forward to the next day back in the office, but it wasn’t until he got home via the Floo Network that he remembered what she’d said right before she left, _the first one can’t be a quickie_. Draco grinned to himself while pouring a drink. She wanted him. Wanted him enough to savour it. He vowed that when that time came, he would take this same intense desire he felt and pay her in kind.

He was glad when the doorbell rang a few hours later and Daphne stood there looking sleek and gorgeously put-together as per usual, her facial expression being the exception.

“Thank God you’re here this time, you’ll never guess what my stupid husband stupidly did today-“ she was cut off by Draco shoving his tongue down her throat.

Pleased that he didn’t have to go out to search for a release tonight to get over the tension still burning within him, he took Daphne more roughly than they usual, slamming her into a wall.

“Ooh, Draco, you naughty boy,” Daphne said, excited by his passion. “More of this, give it to me,” and he did dropping them to the floor and making quick work of their clothes before thrusting into her. She screams of pleasure racketed around the room and she came twice before he found his own release. After panting in silence for ten minutes, Draco took Daphne again, this time being a bit more attentive to her but not slowing down his movements. She came this time for several extended moments, her body spasming as she clung to him unable to even speak.

By the time it subsided and he was building her up again with his movements inside, she asked, “Merlin, Draco, what’s gotten into you today? Not that I’m complaining...”

Draco continued his exertions but thought to himself, _Granger’s gotten into me_ , before finally finding his second bliss, thinking of her the whole time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We finally get to see what Hermione is capable of and this is just scraping the surface.


	9. Chapter 9

Hermione had quickly left the office and headed to her meeting with Cadney, her crane catching her on the way to the Floo Portals with her friend’s acceptance. She had deliberately left her statement to Malfoy vague when she said she would be meeting ‘someone’. She had wanted to gauge his reaction to it and his gaze had flicked up right into hers which amused her greatly. He was interested. Being so turned on and to be left unsatisfied had meant lust was burning through his glare, his silver eyes driving a similar yearning through to her core. She had so very nearly given in to the temptation and jumped him right then, he looked so good, pumping testosterone into the air so thick it was palpable.

Still walking to the main hall of the Ministry, Hermione remembered his strong hands on her, a possessive quality in the grasp that had made her wet instantly. And that smell! She had never smelled that combination before meeting him. When she had learned in a wizarding ashram in India the ability to open her Third Eye and detect things others normally consciously ignored. The testosterone was one example, but she could also see and smell a person’s magic, the very essence of themselves. It had taken her a few months to be able to do it. She had to rid herself of her prejudice against anything of the Divination branch of magics to achieve it.

After twelve days of straight meditation and two months of practicing for it, she had gone seeking inside herself for the key to unlock this part of her, it had been an immediate and overwhelming change. She remembered feeling like she had unblocked a drain inside herself as she’d opened her eyes. She screamed for a solid fifteen minutes as she was bombarded with colours and heightened sounds. It hadn’t been a wonder-filled epiphany, as everything in the world had assaulted her. She still shivered at the memory, her skin had felt raw with the sensation of it all and she’d thought her ears were bleeding from the acuity of the experience. It had taken her another month to train herself to bring it on only when she needed it and in gradual stages. Her sanyasi teacher had been very impressed when she’d achieved this in what, to him, was a short three months there. It normally took someone years to achieve it. She had been her normal determined self though and for Hermione Granger, that meant that she would do it no matter what. 

She had seen Malfoy’s essence and it was black and silver, mystifying and full of seduction. Glints of green and yellow had come through occasionally, too. It wasn’t malevolent, but shadowed. It was the cloak of the broad expanse of cosmic nothingness, awe-filled and mind-blowing. The wood came through in the green and the yellow was an amber spiciness. The silver filtered through it all, sparkling. It pulled you closer, wanting to be touched, tasted but it was a warning, a whisper of _just once, just once, you want this, just once_. It was amazing. She had encountered a similar thing with an incubus she had met in Turkmenistan. He had approached her on a forest path in the middle of the night, radiating sex and pleasure. She wondered if Malfoy had some distant relative who had copulated with an incubus or succubus resulting in this latent quality apparent within him. It would also explain his success with women. Not that he could get them to fall quickly under his spell, his good looks did that anyway, but she always wondered how he got out of any repercussions with them. Even when she was her most up front about her intentions with people, she still sometimes had the odd occasion when a lover couldn’t let it go and became angry, or extremely jealous, one case even resulting in her being briefly stalked. Maybe she would ask him sometime, there wasn’t much research that had been done on wizarding-incubus lineages since many died out from civil wars within the species.

“Hermione? Hellloooo?” a hand waved in her face. Terry was standing in front of her bringing her out of the reverie. She was now at the Floo portals, having obviously experienced some highway hypnosis that got her here without awareness.

She blinked a few times to bring herself back to the present. Having thought about it for so long, she saw she had invoked her Third Eye again, the shapes of smells dancing around her, so she put the power away and smiled at Terry, “Sorry, I was completely spaced out.”

“Yes, you were,” he said, grinning at her. “I’ve been standing here like an idiot for a while. I thought you might have been Petrified. Again.”

Hermione pushed her still whirring brain to the background. As interested as she was in the incubus research she wanted to do, she had a friend to meet up with. Realizing this, she jerked her head up to look at the man standing in front of her. “Oh, Terry, are you free right now? I was going to meet my friend I told you about and tell her about you, but I’m meeting up for drinks after that with a group of people. You should just come with me and meet her, it will be much less awkward in a larger social setting to introduce you,” she rushed out all at once.

Terry looked a bit taken aback at her haste, but smiled down at her, “Sure, I’m free, let’s go,” he said, stepping into a grate. “Where to?”

“Diagon Alley, she said to meet at Eeylops’ Owl Emporium,” she replied.

Terry disappeared in a haze of green and she did the same. They quickly found Cadney talking with Eeylops himself, clearly discussing something heatedly.

“Cad!” Hermione called out to her, seeing the woman turn. Eeylops retreated into his shop, closing the door.

Cadney had large green eyes and wavy, thick blonde hair. Her navy blazer and skirt were form-fitting and the pink silk shirt she had on underneath played against her pale complexion perfectly. Her friend’s blazing eyes fixed on her and she squealed, enveloping Hermione in a long hug.

“Mione, I was so glad you messaged me! Eeylops and I have been working today on freeing some animals that a beauty potions company uses to test their products on. It’s burdening work with the state the poor creatures get in and I’m so happy for the distraction!”

The 30-year old had an extremely attractive smile that had a small dark mole sitting just above the right side of it. Hermione heard Terry clear his throat indicating his desire to be introduced. Hermione grinned inwardly, she knew he would like her.

“Cad, I’m meeting up with everyone at eight for some drinks at The Leaky Cauldron, if you want to come?”

“That would be great,” her friend replied happily.

“Oh, good, I wanted to catch up with you beforehand, but then I ran into my colleague Terry at the Floo’s so I invited him, too. You don’t mind him joining us, right?” Terry had waved at Cadney, and she could see her friend eye him with interest.

“Of course not,” Cadney said, smiling at Hermione with a twinkle in her eye, she knew what was up and she seemed to like it.

They began walking to the pub situated at the front of the street and Hermione worked to get the two talking to each other.

“Terry and I were also in the same Hogwarts year,” Hermione said, “He was in the D. A. with us, I remember him being especially adept at Shielding charms. Didn’t you say you had been having trouble with some of them while liberating some Cornish pixies from that hygiene company?”

“Oh, yes, we had terrible trouble with a particular charm that settled itself around the cage, we had to resort to some rather unattractive uses of hexes to free them. Have you heard of that type of thing?” she asked Terry.

“Yes, actually. You’re right, that it is a tricky one, but I can show you a neat spell that essentially tricks the shield charm into melting away,” Terry replied to her, smiling. He quickly glanced at Hermione on Cadney’s other side and she flashed him a quick wink and A-OK sign.

“Really? That would be brilliant!” Cadney said, latching onto anything that would help her cause.

“Basically, you have to make the charm think that you pose no threat and to do that you just...” Hermione fell back a little, letting them talk. She grinned, they were already showing all the classic signs of interest. Leaning into each other, making small “accidental” touches, ignoring other company... She tilted her head up to watch the sky fall from its last tingling effects of orange into the purple of night. She loved the night-time. The mystery of shadows, the velvet blackness of the sky, the twinkle of stars, light dazzling from eons away, winking at the world with hidden knowledge in their gaze. She always felt more hedonistic and free in the dark hours. Tonight she felt a cloak of allure wrap around her. She brought on the ability to see her aura again and found she was giving off pheromones. They were gold and pink, luring those around her, titillating them into a web of desire. She felt a shiver run through her, tonight she would be blowing more than just steam. Reining the feeling in for now, she followed the flirting couple in front of her and they entered The Leaky Cauldron.

Hermione had purposely separated herself from Cadney and Terry who were still talking animatedly together. She had struck up a discussion on the benefits of craft butterbeers versus the generic brands with Tom, Old Tom’s son who now managed the pub. She broke off the rather engaging conversation when Harry and Ginny walked in and she headed over to give them a big hug. They were quickly followed by Luna and as they ordered drinks at the bar, Hermione approached Terry and her friend. “Sorry, to interrupt, but I just wanted to let you know that we’re going to grab a booth. You can join us whenever,” she said, looking at Cadney, giving a nearly imperceptible eyebrow raise.

“Actually, we were just talking about how hungry we were,” Cadney answered her.

“Oh, OK,” Hermione replied, “the food doesn’t really go past bar meals here though... Nothing compared to that Italian place we went to for your birthday three years ago. I still dream about that risotto sometimes.”

“I love pasta,” Terry said, in agreement with her.

“I noticed they just finished a refurbishment, I haven’t gone to see the new interior yet, but I’ve been meaning to, should we go?” Cadney put in, looking around at the other two.

“I think everyone here’s already eaten, and I want to wait for Neville, so you should go ahead, you can join us afterwards,” Hermione smiled, knowing they wouldn’t be doing that.

“Oh alright, if that’s OK with you?” Cadney said to Terry who nodded enthusiastically. Turning to face Hermione fully so Terry couldn’t see her, Cadney raised her eyes and opened her mouth before biting her bottom lip in a universal signal of attraction and mouthed _Thank you_ to Hermione who maintained her friendly smile, but just widened it a bit in response to her friend’s actions.

“Shall we go then?” Terry asked, helping Cadney off the high bar stools like a gentleman. He placed a hand on her lower back to steer her out before doubling back for his “forgotten” cloak. He grabbed Hermione’s hand with both of his and said quickly and in a low voice. “Seriously Hermione, she’s incredible. I can’t even thank y-“

Hermione shook her head, “Don’t even say it, you’re more than welcome. Now go have fun!” He grinned at her before chasing after Cadney, not even noticing that Nott and Corner had come into the bar.

Nott raised a hand in greeting to his buddy, turning with his friend’s trajectory as he was ignored. Corner watched him leave as well before facing back to see Granger.

“What’s going on there?” Michael asked her, jabbing a thumb in the general direction that Terry had disappeared.

“He’s on a date,” she said, seeing Nott’s eyebrows rise in surprise.

“But isn’t he dating you?” Michael asked.

“That’s past tense now,” Hermione replied. “Do you guys want to join us? Harry and the others got a booth.”

“Sure. Why not?” Theo told her, “We’ll come over in a minute.” The two men made their way up to the bar to order while Hermione took her wine over to the others where Neville finally joined them to a rousing cheer by the rest.

While waiting for their pints to be poured, Theo nudged Corner in the arm. “Hey, what do you make of her?”

“Granger?” Michael clarified and Theo nodded. “Padma and I really like her, she’s funny in a weird kind of way,”

“Merlin help me if you say ‘Padma and I’ one more time...” Theo growled.

Michael ignored him. “She helped get us together, and she’s so good at coming up with solutions for problems at work. Our effectiveness in catching the low tier crooks has doubled since she arrived.”

“Don’t you think she goes beyond weird though?” Nott questioned, looking at her happily chat to Neville, laughing at something that had him blushing. “She’s got this way about her now, it’s so different from school, it keeps making me confused.”

“Do you have an interest in her as well?” Corner asked, taking a sip of his frothy beer.

“I’ll admit to being intrigued, but no, not interested,” Theo relented.

Corner thought for a second, his brain hard at work. “Maybe it’s because she was such a prominent person at Hogwarts, but then almost ten years go by without you seeing her and since she’s travelled and grown and changed, you can’t merge the two halves together without having seen the middle transition.”

“Perhaps,” Theo muttered, mulling it over. “There’s something else to it though, she’s even getting to Malfoy.”

Corner laughed. “No. _Malfoy_? He’s never affected by anything. Grumpy bastard.”

Theo shook his head after tipping some beer into himself. “Truly. For example, this afternoon, remember how Granger called out to him to talk about something from Potter?”

“Yeah,” Michael replied cautiously, unsure where this was heading.

“Well, I tried to go in there, but the door was locked and there was a Silence charm on it.”

“It could just be confidential,” Corner rebutted.

“But afterwards, Granger came out first, smirking like she’d won some big argument and left immediately. Malfoy didn’t come out for another twenty minutes, and he left straight away as well, he ignored me just like Terry did before.”

“Hm, don’t you think you might just be reading too much into the situation? You are probably drawing comparisons that don’t actually exist between the two circumstances because they are similar.” Michael reasoned with him.

“You are SUCH a bloody Ravenclaw,” Theo said, pushing off the bar and turning to head over to the group where Granger was beckoning them.

“If you really want to know, why don’t you go straight to the source?” Michael countered, heading over and grabbing a chair to use.

Deciding that was a fine idea, Nott copied Michael, seating himself close to Hermione on the edge of the booth. Corner joined the others in discussing Luna’s new discovery of yellow-bellied carp in the Yangtze River.

“They really are so very cowardly,” Luna was saying airily. “Weren’t even brave enough to shake the whelk I offered them as per tradition...”

“Hey, Granger,” Theo said, leaning in so she would be the only one to hear him. “What did you talk to Malfoy about today?”

Hermione turned her intense gaze on him and didn’t say anything for a while. She seemed to be sorting something out.

“Harry asked me to discuss a plan we had come up with for the operation,” she answered, finally.

“Was it confidential? Is that why the office was locked and charmed?” he asked her.

Another pause. “A demonstration was needed to convey some of the finer details,” she said carefully.

Theo knew she was holding something back, but she hadn’t lied either. “Was it dangerous or something?” he asked, in an even lower voice. He thought he was right since he saw Hermione’s eyes twinkle.

“Yes,” she replied. “It did put Malfoy at risk a bit, but don’t worry, he is unharmed.”

Theo looked at her, she looked highly amused by this conversation and he couldn’t tell why. “He seemed disturbed and on edge when he left the office,” he continued, still watching her intently.

“Oh, did he?” she said, biting on her lip. “How long was that after I had gone?”

“About twenty minutes,” he answered.

“Hm. Longer than I thought it would take,” she looked down at the table, saying this almost to herself.

“Longer than what would take?” he intoned.

“Just a little task I gave him. Either my demonstration wasn’t as effective as I thought, or he had to do it twice,” her gaze was back on him and her eyes were shining with hidden mirth. She was very happy about something.

“Whatever the risk, I guess it’s worth it if it helps our mission,” he said, starting to tune in to the rest of the conversation at the table, but not fully engaging until he heard her reply.

“We shall have to see about that,” was all she said.

* * *

The night had progressed and Harry, Luna and Corner had gone to their respective homes due to early starts the next day, leaving Hermione, Ginny, Theo and Neville tipsy and wanting to continue the good times they were having.

“Ooh, ‘Mione, can you take me to that Muggle place with the thumpy music again?” Ginny asked, bouncing in her chair and grabbing her friend’s shoulder.

“There are lots of them, but you mean the underground one in Soho we went to ages ago? Sure, we could do that.”

Neville leaned forward, “Do you mean a club, Hermione?”

“Yeah, we went to this really amazing place once and there was a guy spinning these black circle things on a table and loads of people and drink specials! It was so much fun,” Ginny squirmed happily in the booth.

“Theo, have you ever been to a Muggle club before?” Hermione asked him, leaning over the booth toward him.

“No, I haven’t, what do you do there?” he asked.

“Well, Muggles go there to dance, drink and hook up mostly,” Granger said to him. “Obviously, we would have to transfigure our clothing and you can’t use magic when we get there. We will probably have to take a cab as well since I can’t Side-Along all of you.”

“What’s a cab?” Theo said.

“A car that you pay to drive you to a specific destination,” Ginny said, her father coming out in her.

It was Friday night and only 12am and Hermione was getting excited by the prospect of this brilliant idea of Ginny’s. “Right, you guys transfigure your clothing, no cloaks, no robes, maybe order another drink as well while Ginny and I head to the bathroom to get ready.”

“What do we transfigure into though?” Neville asked.

“Just look hot,” Ginny said, waggling her eyebrows mischievously. “Everybody else there will.”

The girls left and Theo and Neville looked at each other at a bit of a loss. “It shouldn’t really matter that much, should it?” Neville said.

“Probably not, but let’s give it a go,” Theo waved his wand to transform his business casual into a pair of dark blue jeans and a white T-shirt.

Neville did the same, but his T-shirt was a light blue and the jeans black.

They got another drink from Tom and were in the middle of a rather heated discussion about who would win the upcoming Quidditch World Cup in Slovakia when the girls finally emerged, heading over to the bar to buy shots before they were ready to depart.

Ginny looked stunning in eye-catching smoky makeup and a tight fitted black dress that showed her form well, a sweetheart neckline emphasising what was already a gift from her genetic code, her long Quidditch toned legs ending in a spectacularly sexy pair of heels. Her dark red lipstick the perfect shade to offset her now-curled red hair. She looked ready to party and the boys both thought that Potter was a lucky man.

Hermione had piled her curly hair on top of her head with a bun that looked put together and sweet. Her white dress had a watercolour print of pink, yellow and blue splotched on it, the boat neck of it at the front making two strips of fabric that tapered down her back, a white silk, reinforced bow set in line at the back of it. A strip of her naked back ending at her waist was exposed. Her dress was a bit longer than Ginny’s ending at her knees. It wasn’t fitting but looked good on her. Her heels were not as high as Ginny and were a Mary Jane style, she was wearing a pair of mesh socks with them. The effect overall was refined, but not overtly sexy like Ginny. Her makeup was downplayed but showed up her eyes and she had a slick of gloss of her lips.

After they had brought the tray of shots over, Hermione pulled out her wand and appraised them. “It’s good, but it needs to be tighter.” She waved at them and Theo felt his jeans shrink to wrap around his legs and his T-shirt tightened around his biceps, contouring down the torso and the ripped abdominal muscles that came from the constant training the Aurors participated in.

Theo was surprised for Neville to get the same treatment, the colour of the T-shirt changing to be a finely mottled blue and it accentuated his back muscles no doubt gained from his strenuous activities in the gardens of Hogwarts. His jeans shrank as well and he stumbled a bit.

“What is this? Muggles wear these? They’re so tight!” Neville said, trying to pull the material off his leg like it was a Venomous Tentacula.

“Yeah, they are,” Ginny said, appreciating the view.

“They’re called skinny jeans,” Granger said, next flicking her wand and coiffing their hair in a trendy hipster (unbeknownst to them) fashion and she cleared away the 5 o’clock shadow on Neville but grew Theo’s out a bit more.

“I declare you fit to be accompanying us!” Ginny said, running her eyes up and down them. “Well done, ‘Mione!”

Hermione twirled her wand and blew on the top of it, the reference missed by the three of them, and she wished that Harry was here to get the joke.

Hermione transfigured her Undetectable Expanded charm bag into a clutch and told the others to put anything in there they wanted to bring with them.

“Right, shots time!” Hermione said, handing them each a shot of tequila that they chased with the requisite lemon slice. “Next one,” she said, handing it around to everyone.

Theo looked at it sceptically, he would always be wary of Granger’s alcohol choices now. “What’s this one called?” It was lurid green in the middle, brown on the bottom with another tan liquid floating on top.

“I introduce you to, the Quick Fuck!” Hermione gestured grandly.

“The what?” Neville sputtered.

“It’s just a name,” Hermione said. “It’s a Muggle drink. You’ll like it. Bottoms up,” she said tipping hers back.

Theo watched while Neville and Ginny downed theirs, Ginny eliciting a squeal of delight from it before he braved the beverage. Knocking it back it tasted of melon with coffee and cream. It was delicious.

“The next time you decide to give out random shots for the office, give us this one,” Theo told her.

“Will do,” Granger winked at him jovially.

Now ready to go, they headed outside. Hermione took out her Muggle cell phone and Googled a cab company before dialling for it.

“They said it would take a couple of minutes,” Hermione said, “would you like to experience another Muggle thing before we go to the club?”

Neville shrugged, “Why not?” he said, “this night seems to be full of firsts anyway.”

Hermione reached into her clutch and pulled out an instant camera that she had bought in Japan. This one was imbued with magic and the pictures that popped out of it would all move just like wizard photos.

“Ok guys, gather around me and pull a crazy face, this is the Muggle phenomenon known as a selfie. OK, one, two, three!”

She shuttered the picture pulling a classic peace sign, Ginny poking her tongue out. The two boys not really knowing what was going on.

The picture came out and Hermione waited a bit as it started to develop. It was quicker with magic and she held it up. Her and Ginny’s photo selves continued with the funny faces while Neville and Theo’s ones looked at the girls weirdly and shrugged through the frame.

“It comes out right away,” Theo said, fascinated.

“Yeah, this was my little travel buddy over the last few legs of the trip,” Hermione told him. “Because they’re small I just stick them to my walls at home. Reminds me of all my adventures,” this was said wistfully as she ran her fingers over the photo.

“Can we try it again?” Theo asked. Hermione nodded with a smile.

They took a few more photos, Theo and Neville’s photo characters actively participating in the silliness. The cab arrived and they all piled in, Theo and Neville looking at it in wonder as Hermione got in the front to tell the driver where they were headed.

“I’ve never been in a London cab before,” Neville said, “it’s so weird.”

Ginny gave Hermione a prod on her shoulder. “What is a good topic to discuss right now?” she said, giving her friend a look that intimated that they didn’t know what was safe and what wasn’t.

Hermione called back to Theo, “Catch me up on the office gossip, I still feel out of the loop with it all.”

Theo got the hint and told them some stories of make up and break up that had happened in and out of the different departments, being sure only to use names and not specific Ministry details.

They arrived not long after and got out, Hermione paying the man with Muggle money.

There was a large line, but Hermione performed some quick wandless magic that caused a distraction for the Muggles and door guards while they slipped inside. It wasn’t ethical, but she didn’t want them to be waiting when it was Theo and Neville’s first time. She led the way through a hallway that had wallpapered walls, lights in the plain painted floor and a carpeted roof like they were walking into the place upside down. The thumping beat of the music getting louder and louder until they headed down some stairs and entered the club proper. Hermione saw Theo look around in wonder, the flashing lights glinting off the Muggles that were grinding to the sounds of the DJ. The bar was busy so Hermione sent Ginny on a reconnaissance mission for drinks knowing the ‘Hot Girl’ vibe and Ginny’s flirtatious nature would get them libations the quickest.

Neville leaned into her, “It’s so loud,” he yelled in her ear.

“I know,” she shouted back, “it forces intimacy,” she gestured to a couple near the bar, having to lean into each other to listen to what they said. They soon started kissing and Neville raised his eyebrows.

“Clever,” he said into Hermione’s ear. She smiled. She had made the boys look damn good tonight. Neville had a girlfriend from Hogsmeade, but she thought she could definitely get Theo some company for tonight. In fact she was positive that she wouldn’t have to do anything at all.

“Is this what Muggles do all the time?” Theo yelled at her to be heard.

“Some of them,” she replied.

“Can’t we do something, so we can hear ourselves talk?” he asked, motioning a wand movement. 

Hermione, however, shook her head. “We have to experience it properly, the good and the bad.”

Theo nodded in understanding. It was then that Ginny came back with a handful of gin and tonics, her favourite drink. Hermione had given her a Muggle credit card. She had obviously managed it fine given her full hands.

“Yay!” she exclaimed, the excitement of the club taking over her. “’Mione, let’s take a photo of this.”  
Hermione broke out her instant camera again and the four of them took photos of them drinking with the club lights flooding the background. Ginny dragged Hermione out onto the dance floor, both of them beckoning the boys. Neville shrugged at Theo and followed but the other wizard waved his hand in rejection, content to just stay on the outskirts and look at the spectacle. He watched the three of them move their bodies, looking like they were having a lot of fun. He looked at the new environment. People were everywhere, and the bass of the music throbbed through him. The liquor was keeping him tipsy and he smiled. Getting into the rhythm of the song he decided to head over and join them. They cheered when he did and toasted each other. It was hard not to be swept up in the energy of the crowd and they danced away, getting hot and sweaty.

After about an hour of this, a DJ change, a few more rounds of drinks, and many more photos taken on the camera, they were all well on their way to being completely sloshed. A crowd favourite song came on and everyone cheered, Hermione whooping along with them. It was about then that a girl bumped into Theo from behind. The girl apologised profusely for it, he kept assuring her that he was fine, but Hermione knew the girls tactic, she was using it as an excuse to approach him. He didn’t seem to know this though, so she decided to save him, she went over and said into his ear, “She wants to talk to you,” she said bluntly. Theo stared at her and she nodded her head. “Go buy her a drink,” she yelled at him again, passing him some Muggle money. Theo turned and talked into the girl’s ear and she smiled before leading him away. He gave the three of them a wink and a thumbs up and Hermione grinned as Ginny whooped cheekily after him.

Hermione just laughed and shook her head.

Ginny and Neville were using each other as a pseudo boy/girlfriend for any potential suitors that approached them and Hermione had yet to let her pheromone mantle loose, but she decided now was the time. Starting to dance more provocatively, she unfurled the metaphorical cape she had kept coiled inside her and stared down the hottie that was immediately drawn to her from across the room.

Theo had found a seated corner that gave him and the girl, Jacinta, a place to talk. She was a nice girl, an interior designer, whatever that meant and they talked about their favourite things, the conversation passed between them easily and Theo was really enjoying himself. It was hard to find things that they both knew about and obviously he couldn’t let on that he was a wizard, but he wasn’t an Auror for nothing. And holy Merlin’s balls this girl was hot. Dark cocoa skin and luscious lips that he couldn’t stop staring at, her champagne coloured bandage dress showing off her glorious figure and offsetting her skin nicely. Her eyes were big and he found her drinking him in. Suddenly, without him knowing, they were kissing, hands all over each other. It was a long time before they came up for air.

“Can I get your phone number?” Jacinta asked, eyes still burning from the passion they had exerted.

“Sure, I’ll go get it, I uh, can’t remember the number,” he said a little awkwardly. He remembered that Granger had used a phone to call the cab, so he would ask to borrow it.

“Did you get a new one,” Jacinta said, “it always takes me a while to remember the new number if I change mine.”

“Something like that,” Theo answered as best he could, not wanting to lie as much as he was able. “I’ll be right back.”

“OK,” she said, tucking her black hair behind an ear.

Theo wound his way to where he’d last seen his friends. He found Ginny and Neville, but Hermione wasn’t around. Luckily Ginny had the other witch’s clutch and he opened it to grab the ‘phone’ out.  
“Where’s Granger?” he yelled at Neville who just pointed over his shoulder. Theo turned around and he saw Granger pressed up against a guy on the dance floor, kissing him with more heat than he could have believed possible. The guy had her gripped around the waist which lifted her dress a bit higher, flashing more of her toned limbs. Theo was gobsmacked. Granger seemed so different yet again. She seemed to be radiating a magnetism so intense that even he was reacting to it. Her eyes closed as she devoured her partner’s mouth with hot, wet, passion.

“Woah,” Theo said.

“That’s my girl!” Ginny yelled loud enough for Theo to hear. Neville snickered at her antics and Theo left them dancing, carrying the phone back to Jacinta.

He gave it to her and she did something to it before giving it back to him. “There you go,” she tickled his ear. He smiled at her and kissed her again.

She leaned over again before saying, “I know this is a bit forward, but do you want to come home with me?”

“Hell yes!” Theo replied. “I’ve just got to quickly say good bye to my mates.”

“Me, too,” she said. They agreed to meet at the entrance again in five minutes.

After going back to Ginny and Neville, and giving back the phone, Theo told them he was leaving.

“See you,” Neville said, clapping him on the shoulder while Ginny kept dancing but waved at him and sent him a wink. He looked around for Granger but couldn’t find her so he went back to the entrance. Jacinta was already waiting there and he put an arm around her.

“Ready to go?” she asked and he nodded before walking out of there.

* * *

Hermione woke up on Saturday morning feeling great, she hopped out of bed and stretched like a cat, all her kinks from the past month worked out.

Davis was still asleep in her crisp white sheets, the turquoise and silver patterned duvet having been pushed to the floor during last night’s activities. The man in her house was gorgeous. Dusky tan skin, thick dark brown hair and tall, his jaw line looked chiselled from steel. As a builder by trade he had hard muscles that rippled across his shoulders making her want to touch them again in the morning sun that was coming through the skylight in her roof. She was unsure whether Davis was his last or first name, but it didn’t matter either way.

Hermione went into her walk-in wardrobe and pulled on one of her vintage nightgowns to cover her nakedness and it skimmed the floor, flowing across her body sensually. She loved wearing these to bed since nowadays they looked more appropriate for a ballroom than a bedroom and she enjoyed the juxtaposition of that.

Padding downstairs she made herself a coffee and grabbed her origami crane and a quill before heading out onto the deck. She soaked up the early morning sun and wrote a note to Theo explaining how to use her cell phone before going back in and rummaging around for it before attaching it to the crane. Listening to Davis’ even breathing to determine he was still asleep, she went out to the deck again and sent it on its way. She had all the cell phones information in her address book since it was mostly used for the few Muggle friends she had kept in contact with after her admission to Hogwarts. She would get another one today. Deciding she wanted to have her house to herself again, she went upstairs to the open space of the bedroom. Kissing Davis on his bare shoulder blades, she roused him from sleep.

“Hi,” she said, as he groggily turned toward her. She played with the fringes of hair at the nape of his neck. “Did you want a coffee?”

“Oh, right, sure.” Davis said, sitting up and looking at her. “Still beautiful this morning,” he said cupping her cheek and giving her a kiss on the corner of her mouth which she leaned into, closing her eyes.

“I’ll give you a few minutes, bathroom’s through that door,” she said, going downstairs a second time and getting out a disposable cup and lid to pour the brew into. “Do you take milk and sugar?” she called up.

“Milk, no sugar,” he replied. “Do you have one of those frother things?”

“Oh sure,” Hermione said, pouring the milk into her Italian coffee machine. She waited while it eked out the heavenly liquid into the brown takeaway cup. Giving her companions this in the morning ensured they could leave right away without awkward conversation while making her fulfil her need to provide hospitality. She was just placing a white lid on it as he padded down the stairs himself, pulling his T-shirt over his head. Hermione walked over to the door with the coffee, knowing he would follow. “Last night was great,” she said and as handed the cup over at the door, she smiled up at him, “it was good to meet you.”

“You as well,” Davis said, smiling too. He kissed her full on the mouth, the minty taste of her mouthwash tingling her lips. He lingered for a few seconds before opening the door, sharing another smile before he shut it.

Hermione leant on it, thinking about the last night. Davis was really sweet and the sex had been good almost great, but they didn’t have that extra something for her to want to make it a continuous thing. Also it was more difficult with a Muggle because she had to hide so much of her life and she didn’t like doing that.

She went upstairs into her ensuite and shucked her clothes to have a quick shower. Lathering her body, she wondered about the previous night and whether she had acted out of character. Not for Neville or Ginny, they had seen her let her hair down before and they knew she would take a man to bed if she wanted, having done so a couple of times before she’d left on her trip. Theo however, he didn’t know her, he would probably be confused. She hadn’t done anything that showed too much of her real self she thought, she had even waited until he was partnered up before really letting loose. 

She shook her head, she would sort it out on Monday if there was an issue. Having washed her hair, she turned off the shower and dressed in a pretty yellow and white flower patterned dress, the spaghetti strap tying at the top of her shoulders. It was sweet and girly and she loved it. She performed her hair dry and style charm that left soft curls framing her face and running down her back. Applying sunscreen and light makeup before deciding she would take one of her books to read outside, she was just going downstairs to choose one out of her immense bookcase when there was a knock on her door.

Drawing her eyebrows together wondering who it was, she looked through the peephole and smiled. A bag of French pastries was waiting through it accompanied by a friendly face.

“Hello, again,” she addressed Davis, opening the door.

“I know we said goodbye already,” he started, “but I was wondering if we could make this one night thing into a one weekend deal instead?”

Hermione tilted her head in amusement, and gestured for him to come inside.

“I bought chocolate croissants as an added incentive,” he said stepping inside.

“I see that,” she replied.

“So,” Davis said, leaning in to nuzzle her neck and untying one of her straps on the dress, “can I get some more coffee to go with them?” he asked as she gasped from his caresses to her neck and collarbone, lips and hands moving in unison.

“Just for the weekend?” she repeated.

“I’m only here for the weekend,” he replied, dropping the pastries on the side table and kissing her full on the mouth again.

He kicked the door shut and she quickly flicked the switch on the side of the wall which deactivated her Floo just in case. Couldn’t have wizards Flooing in with a Muggle here.

She hadn’t had any plans anyway.


	10. Chapter 10

Draco headed into the office early on Monday morning to get to some work he hadn’t been able to complete on the weekend having been distracted by Daphne on Friday night and then Pansy on Saturday. When Sunday came around, he was still feeling the aftereffects of Granger’s seduction despite telling himself that the woman’s influence on him should not have lasted longer than a standard hangover. His body just didn’t want to listen. He had gone out to the wizarding pub around the corner from his flat where the clientele was a more rowdy bunch than at The Leaky Cauldron, but it was a better place to have a drink alone. He had made his move on the first fit looking woman that had entered the place and within fifteen minutes of meeting her, he had them back at his, pounding their bodies together on his couch. He was exhausted now from the sex and the disruption to his mind caused by the events on Friday, a guilty work pressure also laying on his shoulders.

He was relieved that Granger wasn’t in the office when he got there. He wanted to re-establish himself in his space and purge the potent memories of what had happened before she could come in and confuse him.

He sat in the chair and breathed a sigh when he didn’t react. His memories were there, but he just saw them as an unexpectedly fun time. Granger had been right, his brain had been trying to trick him, but he had fucked it out of his system over the weekend. Order restored, he got to work, barely glancing up when others began filtering in. He had closed his door since he didn’t want to be disturbed, but he could hear the murmurs of the team through it.

He had hoped that he would get through the entire morning before he saw Granger, but her uncanny sense of timing had her come into the office just as he was getting a coffee in the kitchen.

“Morning, everyone!” she called. She seemed to be glowing brighter today, Draco noticed. Her smile a little wider, her cheeks a little flushed, an annoying bounce in her step. She still had her office disguise on though, her clothes still neatly tidy and boring. She was also holding a box with some bottles in it.

Placing the box down on the table, she announced, “I bought these for the office, I figure if anyone had a weekend like mine, then you’d be needing one.” She walked around to where Theo and Terry were sitting, handing them each one. “I’m guessing the both of you could definitely use one,” she gave them a wink which Theo smirked at and Terry blushed slightly.

Draco watched as Granger went around the room before stopping in front of him, offering one . He took it, looking at the label, it was a Restorative Potion.

“How do you know if I need one of these?” he asked.

She rolled her eyes at him. “Because it was a weekend, Malfoy, you always drink one of these on a Monday.”

He did, too. He’d forgotten today in lieu of other things... people... on his mind. Granger turned away from him.

“Oh, Theo!” she called, heading back over to him. “I made copies of those photos from the club. I already gave Harry some for Ginny. He was so desolate that she hadn’t managed to rouse him after getting home,” she laughed, the sound tinkling throughout the room.

 _Theo and Granger went to a club together?_ Draco thought to himself. _As in a Muggle club?_ He leaned on the counter while the swathe of people gathered around also looking at the photographs. He relinquished his position with an eye roll after being beckoned by Hermione though.

“Ha, look at Ginny in this one,” Patil pointed out to Corner, showing Ginny dancing surrounded by flashing lights. The photo-Ginny blew them a kiss and continued.

“How did you and Neville do those hairstyles?” Finch-Fletchley asked, “They look good, I’d like to try it sometime.”

“Dunno, Granger did it,” Theo replied, pointing something out to Granger in one of the photos and they laughed.

“How does everyone look so good in these?” Patil asked, looking at Granger.

“That’s why I love my camera, the picture quality manages to gloss over all imperfections with a filter.”

Draco looked over the white framed photos on the desk. Granger had looked pretty that night. Her dress was sweet on her and the bun on her head made her look years younger, like a teenager again.  
“Is this one of you two, KISSING?!” Patil squealed, flapping a photo in her outstretched hand.

Theo took it from her and Granger looked at it over his shoulder. Draco had a clear view of the photo and saw that Nott had Granger in a dip and then their photo selves came together, in a passionate embrace before falling down out of the frame.

“I don’t know, did we?” Granger asked Theo, who was rubbing his chin trying to remember as well.

“Yeah, we were both so drunk, it could have happened,” he said, still puzzled.

Draco’s unsettled feeling snapped back to life stronger than before. Gah, damn Granger. He’d been doing so well.

Suddenly Hermione clapped her hands together. “No wait, that’s just our photo-selves being drunken idiots. I think it was some game Ginny was making us play.”

“Oh yeah,” Theo said, “I can’t really remember properly, but it was something like that.”

Remembering to breathe again, Draco exhaled loudly and covered it up by saying drily, “Seemed like you guys had a lot of fun.”

Granger nodded vigorously and Theo looked up at Draco standing behind him. “Have you ever been to a Muggle club?” Draco shook his head. “You should sometime, it’s definitely an interesting experience, and, mate, the girls, you would have a field day!”

Draco plastered on his trademark smirk and lifted his eyebrows before taking a sip of his coffee.

“Speaking of,” Theo said, giving a photo back to Granger. “You better keep that one, I’m not sure how I’d explain to Jacinta.”

“Oh, are you and her continuing on then?” Granger asked, intrigued.

“Yeah, turns out she’s actually a Squib, she is fully integrated in the Muggle world, but her parents and sister are wizards.”

“Oh, cool,” Hermione said, “that’s easier for you.”

“Definitely,” Theo replied. “My wand fell out of my trousers during a rather inconvenient time, but instead of asking why I had a bit of wood in my pants, she asked why I had a wand.”

Granger sniggered, and muttered, “I bet you did have some wood in your pants,” since she was standing right next to him, Draco was sure he was the only one who heard that and had to swallow his own laugh.

Granger turned on Terry next. “What about you? Anything to report?”

Terry blushed again. “The date went well, if that’s what you’re asking.”

“Well, it’s not really,” she stated, “Did Cadney tell you to say anything to me?”

“Oh, yes, she said to say hi.” Terry replied, still flicking through the photos.

“Was it specifically hi?” she asked.

Terry paused and thought, “I think it was technically to say hello actually.”

“Oh, phew!” Granger said, “I thought you’d blown it.”

Terry looked up at her, “Huh?”

“It’s a code, hey, hi and hello, it’s a way of telling the person who set you up how it went.”

Terry was staring at Granger now taking in her every word. “And?” he said, nervously.

“Well, ‘Hi’ is ‘bad, nix, nada, never going there again’. ‘Hey’ is ‘it was nice, I’ll see him again’. ‘Hello’ though, is a big resounding ‘hell yes'. So I hope you like her, she’ll be sticking around a while.”

Terry grinned from ear to ear. “Good. That’s, ah, _really_ good,” was all he could say.

“Granger,” Draco drawled at her, “do you intend to shoot Cupid arrows into the whole team?”

“Hm. Well I like Cupid, but I won’t be shooting everyone, Cupid only comes to those that want him. I think he’s done his dash here.”

“What about me?” Zabini said, “I want Cupid to come to me, too,”

“Do you?” Granger said, tilting her head, quizzically as the two exchanged an odd glance. Blaise trying very hard not to buckle under her intense stare.

No one except for Draco seemed to notice the interaction between them since the rest of the team were hounding Theo and Terry about their new relationships.

Draco leaned over to say quietly to Granger, “I guess Cupid is leaving me out, too.”

“And me,” she replied before adding, “I wouldn’t send Cupid to you for anything.”

“Why not?” Draco asked, curious for her answer.

“You’re like me, we reject Cupid and his silly romantic notions, we share affinity with Eros and his darts of desire instead.”

“No love or romance for you?” Draco questioned her. She paused a moment, licking the corner of her lip and sliding it over her canine again. He felt something that had awoken on Friday flare within him.

She turned and looked him dead in the eyes, “I heard this great saying once and I feel best fits what I want,” she told him.

“And that would be?” he prodded.

Another slight pause while she held his gaze, the intensity of it taking hold of him, he waited for her to speak.

“Fuck love. Give me fire.”

She turned and walked over to Padma to ask for something and Draco felt his blood run cold with a realisation. He wanted Granger. More than just because of the seduction, even though that had been hot, but because of her brain, the way she captivated people when she talked, enthralling them with her presence. The way she could look through the bullshit and airs people put on, cutting right to the chase. The way she looked fifteen steps ahead when everyone else only tried for five. The intense way she looked at him like he was all she saw in that moment. All of it, all of her, and it had been a desire in him for a while now. Realising that for the first time in over ten years he actually cared about a woman. And it was Hermione Granger.

* * *

On the Wednesday of that week, Harry called Hermione and the rest of the infiltration team into his office to finalise some more details for the mission. Harry smiled at his friend proudly. While she was still new to the team, she had ingratiated herself so well. She was joking and laughing with Terry and Theo and while Malfoy was quieter than the others, he had an amused quirk on his face. It was clear they all cared about her but looking closer it was more. They respected her, they liked her. _Very well played, Hermione_ , Harry thought to himself. She had loyal backup by her side.

Malfoy, Nott and Boot sat in chairs in front of Harry’s desk, while Hermione stood by her friend on the other side.

“Next week we will do the first introduction,” Harry was saying, indicating to Malfoy who nodded. Malfoy had been slowly introducing people to Le Roux over the months they had known him. Le Roux knew Malfoy worked for the Ministry and had recently asked him to bring people who could maybe be swayed for his cause to the parties the French wizard threw. They had also used some people from Malfoy’s past connections that truly did swell Le Roux’s ranks, but this was essential for believability and could not be avoided. Malfoy usually made at least one trip a month to the Le Roux manor and almost always brought a guest with him. The guests ranged from typical arm candy to those he presented to Le Roux slyly as potential allies. Sometimes they were both, such was the case with Tracey Davis whose fiancée was a great collector of dark books that had been banned by the Ministry hundreds of years ago. One of the guests Malfoy had taken was Nott whose last name gained him acceptance rather easily from Le Roux, who was familiar with all of the higher-ranking Death Eater families. Theo visited the mansion occasionally to keep up appearances too.

Hermione had planned that over the next couple of events Draco would take guests over to the Le Roux mansion and one of them would be Hermione. Hermione had also secretly bespelled all of the documents pertaining to the mission so they would only reveal the real document when looked upon by one of the five of them. If anyone else looked at it, they would just see one of their many failed plan designs.

“I will be the second of a few new people Malfoy introduces to the mansion, and remember no one else knows the name of my character,” she reminded them. “Theo you will be there for the other two of them, but not inside for mine, you and Terry will be posted outside for that one. We’ve discussed whereabouts already,” she outlined. “We will put a bug under the table in the foyer to know the comings and goings of the people who enter the mansion, this will give us some names of those who visit most frequently and what times of the day they do so. Malfoy, Le Roux mostly uses you as a wheel for potential new acquaintances, right?” Malfoy nodded. “So, he doesn’t fully trust you? He hasn’t brought you into his inner circle?”

“He wanted to,” Malfoy answered, “I told him that I preferred to serve from the outside, that if I got in too tight with him the investigation team on his trail would start investigating me and that wouldn’t be helpful to him.”

“So, he still believes you are a dark artifacts contractor with the Magical Law Enforcement Evidence Department?”

“I think so,” Draco replied carefully. “Le Roux’s smart though, he may have figured out I have been transferred to the Auror division.”

Hermione nodded. “We should assume that he does know. Judging from his profile, I would say that he just thinks you don’t want to risk your own life and so haven’t told him as you said, staying in the periphery but helping him out where you can. With all the high-profile work you did to reassert the meaning of the name Malfoy, he may think you don’t want to sully your social prestige by making it redundant with a Ministry investigation.”

The team nodded at her logic, Harry smiling up at her.

“OK, we should have the bugs by Friday at the latest, so the first introduction will be at the next event after we receive them, that alright with you, Malfoy?”

“Yes, Friday he is having a cocktail party in the atrium,” he said.

“Who will you take to that one?” Granger asked him, taking notes on her pad again.

“I can get Daphne Macnair since it’s a little late notice. I’m pretty sure her husband is already involved with Le Roux, but I know Daphne hasn’t been over there,” Draco replied, tapping the feather end of his quill on his parchment.

“Good,” Granger twirled her quill. “Any other questions?” They all shook their heads and Harry dismissed them, Theo leaning over to Draco to ask him what time he thought they could get off work today while Draco noticed Harry grabbing Hermione’s arm and holding her back.

“So, Gin told me about Davis, care to enlighten me about your activities this weekend Miss Granger?”

Granger gave him a smirk and said, “That’s between Davis and I,” she retorted, “and believe me, there was no space there for anything more than a few atoms.”

Theo tuned into their conversation, leaving Draco’s answer forgotten, “Is Davis the guy you were all over on the dance floor, Granger?”

“Oh, you saw that?” she actually blushed a little this time.

“Are you a succubus or something? You looked ready to devour the guy.”

Harry laughed at her, “That is no way for a model employee of the Ministry to behave, I might have to write you up a warning,” Hermione just smacked him on the arm.

“You know, Theo, maybe I am, after he left in the morning he came right back for more. And he brought chocolate croissants,” she flirtatiously put a finger to her open lips and cast her eyes down coquettishly.

“Granger, a succubus?” Draco said, turning his gray eyes on her, “With that get up you couldn’t charm the pants off a drunk and horny teenager.”

Hermione laughed, “You don’t find my outfit so highly attractive that you would obsess over it for days, Malfoy?”

He just snorted at her in response.

Hermione was glad that there didn’t seem to be any jealousy in Malfoy right now even after the further revelations of the previous weekend. She thought she had sensed some Monday when he had stiffened at the photo versions of Theo and her almost kissing. Jealousy was not a good emotion for a person to have, especially when there wasn’t anything between them physically. She did want to sleep with him at some point, her attraction and curiosity making it almost inevitable. To do so though, she couldn’t have someone that would try to own her afterwards. She was happy that he had worked through whatever he had been feeling on Monday morning.

Terry already having left, the three of them returned to the office.

“Hermione,” Padma said, holding out a small red envelope to her. “This arrived for you while you were away.”

Looking into the kitchen where Padma had indicated, Hermione saw a large bouquet of paper roses sitting in a vase. The roses were in bud form and had long green paper stalks tapering out of them.  
“Who brought these?” she asked Padma.

“Good-looking guy, black hair, brown eyes, he was foreign, and, um...”

“A butt so good you wanted to bite it?” Hermione said, teasingly.

Padma blushed. “It seems you know him.”

Hermione smiled, it had been Jun-ki, he had been in a meeting with another department here today and she was sad she hadn’t seen him yet. She opened the envelope, took out the card and opened it. The card was blank but the paper rose buds flew off their stalks and arranged themselves, unfurling one word at a time in the Hangeul language. Hermione giggled at the spectacle, Jun-ki had always been rather outrageous in showing affection and his roses spelled out a very amusing poem that was full of the puns he loved so much.

“That’s so romantic!” Padma cried, watching the fluttering pink papers as they floated before the two of them.

“Isn’t it a bit overboard?” Theo asked. “Women don’t expect this kind of thing all the time, do they?” as him and the others watched the impressive bit of magic.

“No,” Hermione said as Padma answered “Yes.”

“What’s it say?” Padma asked, eyes shining in delight.

“You don’t want to know,” Hermione said.

“Is it naughty?” Terry chimed in.

“It’s not what you think,” Hermione said, with a cheeky grin. “It’s a story about a man who accidentally elbows a woman in the face. He throws her an apple and when she turns to catch it ends up getting hit again.”

“I don’t get it,” Padma said. “That’s not romantic at all.”

“No, but it’s hilarious,” Hermione said.

“How?” Theo asked, in disbelief.

Hermione just waved the question away smiling down at Jun-ki’s ingenuity.

“But what’s the point of the roses if it’s not romantic?” Padma asked her, confused. Hermione opened her mouth, but it was Malfoy that replied.

“Granger likes things like this. Contradictions, juxtapositions, things hidden within other things. Like how she appreciates whisky but makes us drink horrible shots. She dresses like a prude but is really open-minded. Even when she’s staring off into space it’s to hide the deeper whirrings of her massive brain,” he said.

“Exactly right, how annoying,” Hermione replied, she didn’t like the idea of being so predictable. Malfoy just smirked at her.

It was then that an idea occurred to her. Things hidden within other things. That was such a Jun-ki move, the clever man.

“I’m going to show these off to Harry,” she said, closing the card again, making the rose buds re-furl and zoom back to their stalks. She picked up the vase and started to leave the office, before turning to Draco, “Malfoy, there’s something we need to clarify with Harry about Le Roux as well, can you join me?”

“Sure,” Malfoy answered, pushing himself out of his chair.

Hermione hurried back down to Harry’s office, the two of them entering as Hermione shut the door. Harry’s office was imbued with silence and protection charms whenever the door shut. It was the reason why he had a separate office to the rest of them.

“Hermione?” Harry queried, putting down a quill. “What’s got you all excited?”

“They’re here!” she said animatedly. Draco seated himself and she felt the two of them watching her as she took the roses out of the vase and Hermione tapped her wand and said the password, “Sagwa.”

The false bottom of the vase opened and a small pouch was inside it. Opening it up, Hermione produced the magically altered listening devices. There were six in total. More than what they needed.

“Smart,” Draco said, taking one of the devices and looking it over, Harry doing the same.

“Yes,” Hermione said. “The poem was a clue, I’m guessing that the same word I used to open the vase will activate these, I will write it down for you, Malfoy,” she said.

“You said ‘apple’ in Korean,” he said casually.

“Aren’t you full of surprises?” she said.

“Yes,” he answered simply, looking up into her eyes.

“If you two are done flirting-“ Harry said, holding up a hand to stop any protests from them. “Your friend has already delivered these? He had a meeting here right?”

“Yes, obviously, we don’t want knowledge of these getting out. Nott and Boot have all signed the contracts regarding them.”

“Contracts?” Malfoy asked, he hadn’t heard about this.

“Yes, I made up a charm that even if the thought of leaking this information crosses their minds seriously they will fall down in a faint and their memory of them will be forgotten,” Hermione said.

“You come up with some fascinating ideas, Granger,” Malfoy told her. “Why didn’t you make me sign one?”

“We trust you,” Harry and Hermione answered together. “Jinx! Double jinx!” they yelled at each other in unison.

“So, our plan is ready then,” Malfoy said, “Has the Minister signed off on this?” He was met by two stares. Harry indicated to Hermione that she should answer but she stamped her foot and mimed vigorously that he should. Harry shook his hand and-

“Oi!” Malfoy fumed at them. Harry wrote something and slid it over to him. ‘You have to say our names’ it said.

“If this didn’t happen to be an important conversation, I would love to have left the both of you silent for the rest of the day,” he sighed before adding, “Potter, Granger. How much more childish can you get?”

They grinned at each other.

Hermione sat on the arm of Harry’s chair again and let him answer, “Yes, Shacklebolt agrees with our plan. Even though there have been no major incidents in a while, the Minister thinks this is the calm before the storm and wants it nipped in the bud as soon as possible.”

“OK, we move forward as planned then,” Malfoy said.

“What’s in the roses, ‘Mione?” Harry asked her, he indicated an object on his desk that was spinning madly. “This thing is going crazy, there’s more magic here.”

“It’s a poem, a silly one,” Hermione said, “Want to see?” she opened the card again and the roses did their trick again.

“Did he invent this?” Harry asked her, pulling one of the papers towards him which acted as if connected by an invisible elastic string.

“I think he probably did,” Hermione said. “No one else knows about the bugs of course. Technically we shouldn’t even know about them. His business here is revolving around trying to get the Ministry to go digital. No more stacks of parchments and binders, but magical computers. He wants to introduce another sort of messaging system as well, like my crane,” she said.

“He must trust you a lot,” Malfoy said to her, looking again at the sleek black shell the inch-long bug was cased in.

“He does, we spent a lot of time together when I was in Korea.”

“He’s staying with you, right?” Harry said.

“Yeah, I talked to him before he Apparated this morning, he’s got my address and will be there around 11pm or so.” Hermione told him.

“It’s 6pm now,” Harry said, checking his watch. “He hasn’t gone to yours early?”

Hermione checked her own charm watch, “No, my house is empty.”

“You should go home now, get ready and stuff,” Harry suggested.

“Really? I promise to make it up to you,” Hermione said. She was excited. She couldn’t wait to see Jun-ki, the sexy and gifted magic innovator. He had been one of the first people she’d met in Seoul and they had instantly clicked, debating for hours in his gorgeous accented English until he’d taught her some Korean, the old-fashioned way. It would be great to relax and take her time getting herself and her house ready for him.

“You’ve more than made up for it with these,” Harry said, twirling a bug in his hands. “Don’t think I haven’t noticed you leave the office and then come back and work through the night.”

“How’d you know?” Hermione said.

“Well, first you’re Hermione, and second... it smells like you. When I come in, I can tell you only recently left. Now get going, have fun,” Harry said.

Hermione was so happy with her friend she kissed him on the cheek. “Can I use your Floo?” she asked.

“Go ahead,” he said.

She skipped over to the Floo in the office and whisked herself out of sight.

Harry smiled and returned to what he had been writing before she’d entered.

Draco cleared his throat.

Harry looked up and did a double-take. “Sorry, Malfoy, forgot you were here.”

“I noticed,” Draco said. Harry was looking a little awkward now, twirling the quill in his hands.

Draco leaned forward in his chair, “What is it with you two?” he asked straight-forwardly.

“There’s nothing with us. We’ve been friends for coming up twenty years. You know, in constant peril together and all that...” he said, “We’re close. She’s never abandoned me.”

“You act weird around each other, Potter, you get all adventurous and you touch each other all the time. You become fun around her. Doesn’t Ginny mind?”

Harry darkened at the implication of his words. “I’m with Ginny, and Hermione and I don’t cross that line,” he said seriously. “Ginny is aware how deep our friendship goes and all we’ve been through, she’s also Hermione’s best friend. Don’t you think you’re being a little unfair, or is this more about your interest in her?”

“My interest?” Draco said to the other wizard acting shocked.

“Yes, you follow her, you know. Not physically, but your eyes do. She told me about last Friday as well, and yes, we do tell each other everything.” Potter said to Draco who was staring intently at him. “I was the one who encouraged her to do it. Maybe not quite in that fashion, but I had an idea she would.”

“Well, gee, Potter, thanks very much for that. It didn’t screw with my brain or anything at all,” Draco growled sarcastically.

“Don’t be angry at me because you can’t admit to yourself that you want to pursue her,” Harry said, annoyed.

“I have admitted it,” Malfoy said.

“What?” Harry was shocked.

“I have. Admitted it, I had been having odd... reactions... to her even before last Friday, but that really clinched it. My weekend was full of thinking about her, fuck that’s embarrassing, but it’s true. On Monday when I saw those photos of them out at a club, I felt jealous. First time since school that I’d felt it,” Draco ran a hand through his hair. “She’s a mystery on so many levels, but one of the biggest ones is you, her relationship with you... there’s more isn’t there, it’s not just friendship.”

Harry breathed, “Hermione and I... I meant it when I said we share everything, we know everything about the other. Hasn’t it occurred to you that she might cling onto me a bit more because of Ron?”

“That’s the other big fucking thing,” Draco said, “Bloody Weasley, I don’t know what’s going on there and the fact that it’s the one thing we can’t ask her about is infuriating.”

Potter looked him over, “Malfoy, you need to work on this jealousy if you want a shot with her, I know you’ve been tamping it down with the mentions of the other people, but she won’t touch you with a giant’s walking stick if you keep acting like this. She never wants to belong to anyone except herself.”

That sobered Draco up, it was how he had always felt, his disposable women were a part of it and his most lasting female relationships were with women who were married.

“Any more questions?” Potter asked him.

“No,” Draco said, rising from his seat and heading for the door.

“Oh, and Teddy finally decided what the theme for his belated birthday is, it’s going to be this Saturday,” Harry said, “You agreed to organise the cake, remember?”

Draco nodded at him and exited the room.

He returned to his own office and sat at the desk. Potter had told him to put aside his jealousy if he wanted Granger, which he did. He normally avoided conversations like the one he had just had with Potter like dragon-pox, but it had been enlightening this time. 

His more logical, conniving side had always been good at compartmentalising, he felt satisfied that his irrational side would now behave, giving him a better shot at getting with Granger as per Potter’s advice. He scrunched his face still not able to believe that he now took advice from people let alone Potter. He decided to start on some work for when he introduced Le Roux to Granger, who she needed to see and be seen by. 

A few hours passed and a knock on his door sounded and Theo poked his head around, “Hey, Malfoy, have you seen your token?”

“No,” Malfoy said, taking Le Roux’s Protean charm set into a gold fleur-de-lis badge out of his desk drawer. Turning it over in his hand, there was a new script on it rather than just the next party’s theme and start time. Big announcement, keep the 18th of June open – ELR.

“I wonder what that means,” Draco said to Theo who had shut and charmed the office.

“We have to change our plan,” Theo said. “Granger is going to have to ante up and work bloody fast for us to find out what he’s up to. I’ve told Potter already as he left and he’s going to call an early morning meeting.”

“Granger will want to know now,” Draco said, gathering his things, “I’ll Floo to hers, she had me added to her network. What’s the time, Theo?”

“Quarter past nine,” Theo answered him.

“Thanks,’ Draco said, hurrying out. There was at least an hour before Granger’s guest arrived and just like him, he knew Granger would want to start working on a plan for this straight away. Getting to the Ministry Floos quickly. Stepping into a grate, he spoke Granger’s address clearly and was whisked away.

Draco travelled through the green flames, arriving to find a loud and slow thumping music playing so the roar of the Floo couldn’t be heard. The room was bathed in candlelight, and he looked around to get his bearings of the place, raising his eyes to the open space of her bedroom, he expected to see her getting ready, but it was dark and empty. He turned to the contraption beside the grate and spoke his passphrase from the parchment into it before her security measures kicked in.

Gritting his teeth he said, “Fuzzy Wuzzy was a bear.” He would have to get her to change that. The electronic pad blinked green and flashed a message, “Welcome, Malfoy ^_^,” typical Granger, he thought as a second message came up, “Take your shoes off, you dirty fuck.” Even more Granger-like, sweet then sour, he chuckled and did as indicated, placing his shoes on the rack provided. Shuffling further inside, music still blaring, he moved past the view of a large column that supported the second storey. That’s when he saw them.

She was on top of the closed grand piano, her silvery dress falling off her left shoulder and her legs wrapped around the man between them. Her hands roamed over him, one digging into the wide, muscled expanse of his naked back, the other in his black hair as they kissed. Draco froze at the sight. Any doubts he might have had on her abilities would have left immediately at this view. He felt voyeuristic as he watched the mystery guy grab her pinned up hair and pull her head back, gaining access to her neck, while she had her eyes closed and her glossy red painted mouth formed an ‘O’ of pleasure. A throb pulsed through Draco at the sight, no jealousy, just desire.

Wondering how to break up this moment without seeming too awkward, he widened his eyes a bit to see the man run a hand up Granger’s thigh, showing a peek at the tops of her stockings before he clawed his fingers and ripped down them causing ladders to spring up in mismatched holes, red lines following down them from his nails marking her. Granger bit her bottom lip, clearly turned on by the animalistic action, then she half-opened her hooded eyes, burning with desire and looked straight at Draco. Holy shit, he was turned on right now, but he didn’t dare move and kept his facial expression carefully stoic, a little bored even. Smiling, she didn’t immediately stop, but rolled her neck to give the man another kiss on the mouth while tapping his shoulder. They broke away and she whispered in the guy’s ear, crossing her legs as she did so and pointed behind him. The man turned, dark almond shaped eyes burning at the interruption while showing off the tan skin of a taut and extremely defined abdominal region. Granger whispered in his ear again, and he nodded at Draco before walking over and putting his jacket on, cuffing the sleeves. He exited to the balcony via the French doors. Granger slid off the instrument, waving a hand to lower the music so they would be able to hear each other and walked over to Draco, adjusting the strap back onto her shoulder before it promptly fell off again.

“Sorry, do you mind?” she asked him, turning around to have her dress rezipped up the back. Draco slowly grasped the metal tab and pulled it up, watching her smooth skin and the strip of purple lace bra slide away from view. He was careful not to actually touch her, but his hand did traitorously start to lift up to stroke her elegant neck before he pulled it away, turning his head and closing his eyes to pull himself together.

Exhaling once, he turned back to her, seeing her look at him with a thumb nail hanging out of her mouth, her other arm crossed, supporting the opposite elbow while she softly swayed a little side to side, smirking. “That was mean of me,” she said, not seeming sorry at all. “Just to prove again that I can do this sort of thing.”

“I bloody know you can,” Draco growled at her, balling his fists to stop them betraying him another time. She smelled of green tea and citrus, clean and fresh with a hint of lavender, too.

Granger walked over to the kitchen and got out two glasses pouring them a whisky while he followed her.

He knocked his back immediately, damning his own rules and held it out for another.

She obliged before saying, “That’s my friend Jun-ki.”

Draco just grunted, trying not to care, then his stomach dropped. It wasn’t until then under the brighter lights of the kitchen that he saw droplets of creamy-white staining the skin of her chest. “You, ah, might want to clean that up,” he said, indicating the globules and glancing away.

Granger looked down at herself, frowning in confusion, before saying, “Oh, don’t worry, it’s just candle wax,” she said, picking a cooled ball of herself to show him and shook off the other ones. “Did I just make you, ah, inarticulate for the first time?” she mocked him, raising an eyebrow.

“It didn’t expect to see all this,” Draco replied, waving his Scotch in the general direction of where Jun-ki had exited, roving his eyes over her dress at the same time. It was gorgeous, thick straps that made her neck look even longer and brought out the delicate lines of her collarbone, sweeping down to curve over the mounds of her chest, the rounded skin lifting with every breath. It followed her form, nipping her tiny waist and flared out tightly gliding down to show womanly hips ending mid-thigh. Even her ruined stocking couldn’t detract from how amazing she looked with her hair pulled off her face and make up carefully applied. He would even say it added to the look. The appraisal only took a second but he saw her waiting for an expansion to his comment “Merlin’s balls, Granger, did you SEE what you put on when it got cold?”

“My fluffy bunny sweater!” she said, eyes shining. “It’s cute!”

“It’s not.”

“It has a hood!”

“With pointed ears on it.”

“Well it wouldn’t BE a bunny sweater without those now, would it,” she smiled, mocking him again.  
There was a pause between them and Draco was not immune to the electric charge being held through their conversation. He had to swallow and remind himself there was another man here and touching her would be inappropriate. It annoyed him greatly that it didn’t seem to be affecting her in the slightest, in fact she was positively enjoying herself.

“If you come over again unexpectedly, this is how I dress here. I can’t at work, so I go overboard at home,” she grimaced, “I don’t really like those clothes anymore than you do, but they are essential to keeping my true purpose secret.”

He nodded. The full extent of her capabilities were best kept under wraps, just in case Le Roux had a mole at the Ministry.

“What about other people dropping by?” Draco questioned.

“Only Harry, Ginny, you and Kingsley have access to my Floo, and they all know this ‘me’. In fact, for Harry, he has it right in seeing this as the real version and the office one as a disguise. Anyone else has to Apparate outside and use the doorbell.”

“You really do think of everything,” Draco said.

“I wouldn’t have had to come back if I didn’t,” she retorted. “What did you come for anyway?” she asked, eyes fixing on him with the stare he’d come to know so well.

“Le Roux’s made a change,” Draco started, but he paused. “I’m not jealous you know.” The bluntness of his statement surprised her, she looked up at him.

“I know,” she said, “you’re uncomfortable since you aren’t used to seeing me like this.”

Draco nodded, realising it as truth.

“You better get accustomed quickly, you can’t be anything except a supreme charm monster around Le Roux. And I won’t even ask why you felt you needed to say that before,” this last part was sarcastic, but Draco decided to ignore it.

“You make a good point,” he replied to her. “I should acclimate myself to... you.” He almost slipped up by saying ‘this version’ again. “We should spend some time here together.”

“Why, Mr. Malfoy, sir, you make a girl blush,” she mocked, placing the back of her hand across her cheek feigning the heated sensation.

“I meant, we can work here instead of at the office, I don’t know why you go in there afterhours when you could just do the same here,” he said.

“I get distracted if I stay at home,” she said with a shrug. “OK, you can come over Saturday after Teddy’s birthday, we can do some work. Now, get to Le Roux, I’m neglecting my friend,”

Malfoy cut to the chase. “Le Roux sent a message through the Proteans today. There’s going to be a big announcement on the 18th of June which gives us a little more than a month to get you in close with Le Roux enough for you to place that device.”

She took a sip of her whisky, “That’s easy, I’ll just cut down the Intrigue and Titillation stages, but I will have to be a lot more forward,” she looked up at Malfoy. “On Saturday I can tell you my general plan, you know the man, so you can help me flesh it out,” she swallowed back the rest of the whisky. 

“Leave now,” she said, heading for the French doors and shooing him to the Floo.

“Can you change my passcode for this thing?” he called to her.

“No can do, I haven’t heard you say it yet,” she said, opening up the doors letting the night breeze playfully ruffle the escaped hairs on the back of her neck. “Go, I have to provide hospitality to my guest, unless,” she turned back with a smirk, “you want to watch?”

When he didn’t respond immediately she laughed, “Not this time, Malfoy, see you at work tomorrow. Oh, and Saturday? Bring your whisky database, you promised I could see it.” She left him alone as he stared after her, intrigued as hell. He heard a splash and a giggle and decided he’d lingered long enough and Floo’d back home.


	11. Chapter 11

The rest of the week came and went, Draco taking Daphne to the cocktail party at Le Roux’s on the Friday. Le Roux had commented about knowing Daphne’s husband and the woman had not responded well, coming close to being rude before Draco had pulled her away to get a drink. Daphne had been repelled by the older man, who had been openly caressing a young woman in her early twenties. The girl had been gorgeous but looked bored as she was groped, inspecting her nails as it happened and drinking a mojito. After doing the rounds a few times, including talking to Theo briefly, Daphne and he had Apparated back to his for a quickie before she went home.

On Saturday Draco had turned up at his Aunt Andromeda’s house for Teddy’s birthday, the boy running up to greet him.

“Uncle Drake!” Teddy had exclaimed, pulling Draco, his present and cake into the lounge where an assembly of adults were sitting and a fair few children milled around with liquorice wands shouting pretend spells at each other. He didn’t recognise many of them but saw Victoire Weasley there, chasing a boy on a miniature broomstick.

“It’s Hogwarts!” Teddy said, meaning the scene taking place in the lounge and taking the present from Draco and ripping it open to find a handsome Wizard chess set. Teddy was bright and relished challenges so Draco knew the boy would enjoy learning it.

“It’s a game, Teddy, and it requires a lot of concentration and knowledge to be good at, I’ll teach you so you can be the best of your age when you go to the real Hogwarts next year.”

“Thank you!” Teddy said, giving Draco a hug before running off to join his friends.

Draco was setting the cake that was in the shape of the iconic castle on the kitchen bench, when he heard someone approach him.

“I have both concentration and knowledge in droves, but I’m still terrible at that game,” Granger’s voice said from behind him. He turned and his eyes widened as she stood there wearing her old school robes. She filled them out much more significantly now and the effect was very pleasing. She had teased her hair so it was frizzy and massive around her head as it had been back then, too.

“I didn’t see you were here,” Draco said, while she snuck a stick of carrot from a bowl on the counter, crunching down on it.

“Yeah, I came with Harry and Ginny, they’re over there,” she pointed to a corner that was separate from the other adults and he saw both Harry and Ginny in Gryffindor Quidditch robes, smiling at the kids and holding hands while talking to each other.

Andromeda bustled in from the hallway looking a little harried but beamed at Draco as she handed a dish over to Hermione who immediately took it into the living room. His aunt hugged him and swotted him on the arm for not visiting in a while.

“I’ve been busy,” Draco said smiling at the admonishment the witch had given him. Andromeda had helped him with everything after his parents’ death, despite his initial hostile nature toward her and the falling out with his mother and Bellatrix all those years ago. Their relationship was warm and amicable now though, as she was pretty much the only family he had left.

“I hope you haven’t been working too hard,” the woman frowned at him. “You should have some fun, have you got yourself a special witch yet?”

“Uncle Drake here doesn’t have a special witch,” Hermione said, grinning at him as she approached.

“Oh, really, that’s a shame,” Andromeda said with a sigh.

“I know,” Hermione said with mock-concern. “He has a LOT of special witches instead.”

“Granger-“ Draco warned as she cackled and danced off, taking more food through.

“Draco Malfoy, is that true?” Andromeda said, hands on hips. “You need to settle down and start a family, that name of yours finally has some good attached to it and it should continue.”

Draco sighed, bloody Granger, he’d get her for this, he burned a fiery hole into the witch’s back. “I haven’t met anyone worthwhile yet, that’s all,” he sighed turning towards the face of his unrelenting aunt.

Andromeda leaned in towards him, “What about Hermione? She’s a darling girl and Teddy adores her. She’s smart and successful and she would challenge that large brain yours. She’s turned into a rather good-looking woman as well, even if she tries to hide it, ” his aunt said, appraising Granger’s form as she entertained the children by pretending to be Professor McGonagall teaching a lesson, even transfiguring the coffee table into a pig and back just as McGonagall had demonstrated in their first lessons with them.

“Granger is strictly off-limits,” Draco said, “even if she does look good in uniform.”

His aunt scoffed at him, “I hope this isn’t more blood prejudice, Draco, I really thought you were over all that.”

“That’s not it,” he replied, “she’s just unpredictable and a pain in my arse, I don’t like that in a woman.”

Andromeda’s eyes twinkled at him and a smile played across her lips. “I see, so she does challenge you.”

Draco shook his head, giving up. He left his aunt and joined the others in the living room, Harry nodding his head in greeting and Ginny, who was sitting on the arm of Harry’s chair, waved him over.

“Potter, you’re in costume,” Draco raised an eyebrow at the man, sitting down on the couch near them.

“Hermione came over and insisted we change to the theme,” the wizard replied, grimacing a little.

Ginny giggled, “Come on, it’s fun!” she said, “Reminds me of old times in the cloak rooms...”

“Gin, there are kids around,” Potter nudged her, indicating the enraptured children sitting in front of Hermione.

“Still, Potter, you let the two of them badger you this far?”

Ginny turned her head to Draco, grinning like a Cheshire cat, “Sometimes Harry finds it very hard to say no to me,” she looked back at Hermione and sighed, “I always knew she’d be a good teacher,” she said, looking a little sadly at her friend. “It feels weird that the Ministry is pimping her out just to catch a bad guy.”

Draco and Harry both froze. “How do you know that?” Harry hissed at her.

Ginny sent him a withering look. “I’m not stupid. I know that whenever the Ministry fails at pussyfooting _around_ an issue they send Hermione in to pussyfoot _into_ it.”

Draco had never thought of it that way. Granger wasn’t being forced into this was she? No, she wasn’t the kind of person to be bullied no matter how he had tried at school, she had always stood up to him. She had come to this decision of her own accord.

“You’re wrong,” Draco and Harry said together.

“I swear to Merlin’s unholy grave, Potter, if you say jinx right now I’ll hex your face off,” Draco told him.

“Wouldn’t dream of it,” Harry replied, before turning to his fiancée, “Gin, Hermione was the one to suggest this form of attack, back in 2006 she was asked to come back, but she said she could get it done in a night. And she did. One night in Milan and she gave us everything we needed to put Giovanni Fortescue away.”

“This isn’t something to be discussed here,” Draco said to the two of them, but everyone else had their attention on the kids as they cheered at something Granger had said.

Ginny fixed him with a Molly-stare, “So help me Malfoy, if my best friend gets hurts on this operation, I’ll flay you to within an inch of your life and then bring on some wholly new torture that will have you begging for the flaying back.”

“Yes, ma’am,” Draco replied sarcastically. “Shouldn’t you tell this to Harry as well?”

“Harry loves Hermione, you don’t. That means you are more willing to endanger her.”

Draco was surprised to hear Ginny mention Harry’s relationship with Hermione so casually. _She really must be OK with the way they are_ , he thought. Maybe it was their way to talk about your emotions and reiterate how you felt about things, that wasn’t how he operated and he didn’t understand it. “I will do nothing that will place her in more danger that she hasn’t already put herself into,” he answered carefully.

“Ooh, so many loopholes in that, Malfoy.” Ginny said, narrowing her eyes at him. “Still a conniving son of a bitch through and through.”

“Of course he is,” Granger said, plopping herself down on the sofa beside him. Draco scowled at her.  
“Ooh, look, he’s still mad I sold him out to Andromeda,” she sang, poking him in the arm which he moved away from her.

“Why’d you do that? She’ll hound me non-stop now,” he grumped at her.

Granger just shrugged. “For the fun,” she said. “Watching you squirm is currently one of my favourite activities.”

“After embroidered cushions with naughty song lyrics and mailing cupcakes to unsuspecting civilians?” he said. There was a collective pause at that.

“Aww, you remembered? That’s so sweet!” Granger said, sidling up and mock-flirting with him. He scowled at her yet again.

Ginny stood up, “Hermione!” she said, addressing her friend. “I know you came over very conveniently and distracted us from the conversation we’d been having. You and I need to have a serious chat a bit later,” Hermione blinked at her friend and nodded. The party went on with more presents opened and cake. When the party games started with the children, Ginny expertly volunteered Harry and Draco to help out while making apologies for herself and Hermione. With that Ginny grabbed the crook of Hermione’s elbow and called out a goodbye to Andromeda and Teddy who happily waved back before Apparating them out.

Harry and Draco looked at each other. “Your fiancée is a firecracker, Potter,” Draco said.

“Yeah she is. It’s a curse and a blessing,” the two men shared a significant look before turning their attention to Teddy.

Outside her flat, Hermione pulled away from Ginny. “Gin, I know you must be mad, but I can explain.”

“I’m only mad that you thought you couldn’t tell me,” her best friend replied as Hermione opened the door.

Entering the place, Ginny stalked in, going to the kitchen and getting them a wine, knowing alcohol was a good social lubricant for situations like this.

“’Mione, you tell me everything, you even told me all about you and Harry and both times I was fine wasn’t I?” Ginny said to her friend.

Hermione accepted the glass Ginny extended. “It wasn’t because I couldn’t trust you, it was because the Ministry couldn’t let anything slip. I was protecting you. If you knew, then you were a target.”

“That’s unfair, Hermione, you know I’d be a target either way, I’m the fiancée of the great Harry Potter and best friend to the second of the Golden Trio, sister to the third!” Ginny collapsed on one of Hermione’s couches taking a large sip of wine.

Hermione paused taking in her words. “OK, yes, it’s not because of that. I wasn’t sure how you’d react, how different I am, how- how I couldn’t be here when-“ she cut herself off not being able to finish the thought, but Ginny’s eyes softened at the tears brimming in her friends eyes.

“’Mione, I love you no matter what,” Ginny said as Hermione sat beside her on the couch. “Now don’t you need to get me to sign something? And remember, I figured this out on my own, you haven’t broken any secrecy whatnots.”

Hermione pulled herself together, she hated crying and wouldn’t do it in front of her friend. She had always wanted to tell Ginny everything. It was so difficult that only men knew her secret. It would feel so much better having a woman’s opinion on things. “I’ll have to get the papers, I have a set upstairs,” Hermione said to her.

Ginny smiled, “Go on, I’ll wait.”

Hermione went up to her bedroom and opened her walk-in wardrobe. She went through her belongings and came across a dress that was 1940s –esque. It represented everything she now was. Sexy but elegant, covering yet revealing. It was navy blue and came to just below her knee. It glided across her form and had a built-in belt to accentuate her wait. The rounded neck scooped low, rounding the tops of her breasts well. It was accented with white trim around the neckline and on the edges of the capped sleeves. She took off her Hogwarts uniform and pulled the dress on. Turning to the mirror, she was pleased with the way it made her look sensual and powerful. She took off the charms that make her hair crazy, leaving the curls soft and bouncing around her face and down her back. She also applied her favourite style of makeup, flawless, glowing skin, a flick of eyeliner and a red lip that was glossy and accentuated her pout. She knew a more accurate visual would help instil Ginny with confidence that she was OK and enjoyed the work. She grabbed the papers from a drawer and returned to Ginny, sitting down.

“Now this matches you so much more than your usual outfits, ‘Mione,” Ginny said. “You’re a complete knockout!”

Hermione blushed at her friend’s compliment. “You don’t even know how much I wanted to be able to share this with you, Gin,” she said. “It feels so good to be my full self around you. Here sign this.”

Ginny smiled brightly. “You better never keep anything like this from me again or else, wee-yotch,” she teased, waving her wand on the papers to sign them.

“You have my solemn vow,” Hermione said sombrely before they laughed and took more sips from their drinks. “I highly doubt Kingsley is going to be happy about you knowing this.”

Ginny drew her brows together darkly, “He should have thought about emotional support outside the team anyway. Now tell me about everything, the missions, your overseas trip, I want to know it all.”

Hermione and Ginny then spent the remainder of the afternoon and into the evening telling each other stories from their and Hermione knew she was so lucky to have a best friend that accepted her no matter the circumstance. They had gotten through one and a half bottles of wine when the Floo roared and Draco stepped out of the grate.

Ginny looked from the platinum-blond wizard to Hermione and back. A smirk playing across her mouth, “I see that you’re still holding things back from me, ‘Mione,” she tsked, shaking her head.

“No, he’s over here to work,” Hermione said, reaching out to grip her friend’s arm.

“Hey, Malfoy!” Ginny called out. “Are you here to work, or here to _work_ ,” she said the last part with a wiggle of her upper body, wine still in hand, and shaking Hermione off in the process.

Draco raised an eyebrow, “Weasley, are you drunk?” 

Ginny put her arms over the back of the couch to stare at him, “Maybe,” she said, grinning in that way that ensured mischief.

“Gin, Malfoy and I are really working, for when I meet Le Roux, but first watch this,” Hermione said to her friend, “Say it, Malfoy,”

The wizard grimaced at her, “I don’t want to.”

“I won’t change it until I hear you say it, I told you that last time,” she stuck her tongue out at him.

“Last time?”” Ginny smirked at them.

“Fine,” Malfoy grumbled, turning to the electronic pad, which had begun to beep in warning, “Fuzzy Wuzzy was a bear, there happy?” he said, although judging from the peals of laughter issuing out of the two girls his question was unnecessary.

“That’s genius, ‘Mione!” Ginny said, “Malfoy, say it again.”

“Not a chance in hell,” the wizard said, crossing his arms while Hermione stood up and pulled Ginny with her. Hermione took Ginny’s drink despite the whine of protest from the witch. She took her to the front door and made Ginny put on her shoes, the red-headed girl grumbling the whole way. Opening the door, she deposited her best friend outside it, stepping halfway out with her.

“You promise to tell me what he’s like in bed,” Ginny pawed at her, a pout marking her bottom lip.

“We really are working, but I’ll let you know all the boring details, I swear,” Hermione told to her friend. “I’ll see you on Monday for lunch OK, Gin? Now go back to Harry and give him hell in that outfit.” She shut the door in Ginny’s face before turning to Malfoy who had stepped into the centre of the room and unabashedly listened in on their conversation.

“No pressure, Malfoy, but I WILL find out everything.” Ginny yelled through the door. “EV. ERY. THING!” the witch slammed her hand against the wood and then was gone.

“Seems you had a fun afternoon,” Malfoy said to her, holding her gaze. He looked his usual bored, stoic self, but there was amusement in his eyes. “You want to fulfil your obligations and let her know what I’m like in bed? Being dragged around by Teddy is exhausting and I could do with a nap.”

Hermione exhaled and looked down at the floor, a smile forming in response to his wit.

Snapping back to look at him again she said, “Oh, hell, I know we’re supposed to talk about Le Roux, but should we just have a whisky instead?”

“Sounds good to me,” Draco replied. “What have you got?”

“A lot, come here,” she beckoned him over to the linen cupboard. “I made an upgrade.”

Draco stared as she opened it as four rows of whiskies lined the three sides of the closet.

“Pick any one you want,” Hermione said, loving his expression to her collection. He roved over them all before choosing an 18-year old Campbelltown.

“Why this one?” Hermione asked.

“Because I’d never heard of it before,” was his answer, “I didn’t bring the database, I forgot it.”

“That’s OK, you probably came here straight after Teddy’s party finished, right?” Hermione said as she walked to the kitchen grabbing two dram glasses for them and another glass of water with the dropper in it for maximum accuracy to release the full amount of flavour from the drink. Walking back over to the couches, Hermione made herself comfortable and poured the two of them a drink. Aware that Malfoy was still staring into her mini whisky museum she called him over, “Malfoy, come here quick before I drink yours too,”

He walked over and sat on the other couch, grabbing the glass and taking a sip, rolling it around his mouth before swallowing. “It’s green,” he said. “Like cut grass and barley.”

“Mm,” Hermione agreed. “It opens up even more with two drops of water.”

Malfoy did that and murmured in appreciation, “You’re right, there’s saltiness in there and a hint of smoke and... is that dandelion?”

Hermione took another sip. “I think you might be right,” she said. “I’d never noticed the dandelion before.”

“You’re not in your school uniform anymore,” Draco observed.

“Disappointed?” Hermione asked.

“Yes, a bit,” he admitted to her.

“Well, it wouldn’t be very good if I’d kept it on, we’re here for you to come to terms with my inner seductress, not the girl you knew in school.”

“Well, it would help adjust to his penchant for role play and costume,” Malfoy said, a smoulder in his gaze.

“Not going to happen, Malfoy, I would have thought this was already improvement enough for you,” Hermione gestured to her alluring outfit. She saw his eyes follow her contours and she smiled.

“You’re here to get used to me, you can’t keep checking me out like this is all new for Le Roux to believe that you know and trust me.”

“You’re right,” Malfoy said, “So how do you propose we go about this?”

Hermione took another sip and mulled the whisky over her tongue. “How about an incentive-based situation? We set our whisky down and ask each other questions, we only get to drink when we decide to answer. We can also throw the question back to the other if we choose. Oh, and we should try to be straight-forward as well, compartmentalise this as getting to know each other, this is not a preamble to a love-fest.”

Malfoy rolled his eyes at her as if a love-fest was highly unlikely anyway. “Isn’t drinking normally considered a punishment, not an incentive?” he asked.

“That’s just silly,” Hermione answered.

“OK, I agree to your terms,” Malfoy acquiesced.

“Alright you go first then,” Hermione replied, adjusting herself more comfortably on the couch.

Malfoy contemplated for a while before asking, “Are you really OK with this seduction technique in line for Le Roux?”

“Yes,” Hermione answered simply, taking a sip. “Do you truly believe in my capability for it?”

“Yes,” Malfoy took a drink and finished his glass, Hermione poured him another. “Why did you really make that demonstration last Friday?” he asked.

“Because I wanted to.” Sip. Drink finished and replenished. “Did you obsess over it that weekend?”

“Yes.” Sip. “Were your reactions real or fake throughout it?”

“Real, but exaggerated for you.” Sip. "What was your first time like?” her eyes turned serious this time, she genuinely wanted to know.

Malfoy slowed at her question but didn’t refrain from answering, ”It was fast and hard, Pansy Parkinson, 5th year.” He took a sip and looked at her. “What was yours like with the Weasel King?”

Hermione set her glass down, “I can’t answer that.”

“Sorry, you don’t like talking about him, right?”

“I don’t mind talking about the past, it’s the present that bothers me,” she said. “Where in the world would you go if you could?”

“Reykjavik.” Sip. Refill. “What’s the worst pick up line you’ve had used on you?”

“Hmm, any of the generic ones are bad, but there was this one: ‘You’re a limey, I’m Kiwi, let’s make a fruit salad,’ that was pretty awful.” Hermione grimaced as Malfoy snorted into his whisky.

“New Zealander then?”

“Yes. The Kiwis I met were fun but that line was bad. I mean, who puts lime in a fruit salad? ”

Malfoy near-choked on his whisky. 

“How many women do you sleep with a week?” Hermione asked. Malfoy looked at her, gauging why she had asked this question, determining she was nothing except curious, he answered.

“At least one, the most in a week has been five. How about you?”

“Women? I don’t sleep with them on a regular basis so it’s harder to answer.”

“But you do sleep with women?”

“On occasion if I am attracted to them, I prefer men though.” Hermione said easily. “Have you ever engaged with a man before?”

“A boy in school once confessed his feelings and kissed me, but I didn’t feel anything and told him so. I’ve also been in a devil’s threesome a couple of times, we never touched each other though, just the girl,” Malfoy answered her.

They talked for a long while, laughing and ribbing each other. Hermione couldn’t help her eyes looking over his jaw line and the way his lips moved as he talked, he was really very attractive. The almost formulaic responses he gave to her sexually-loaded questions turned her on even more, but this wasn’t the time to do anything more with him and she put those thoughts away as the evening slid on.

Quite a few whiskies later they were still talking and answering questions. “Why wouldn’t you tell me about losing your virginity?” Malfoy said, tipsy and relaxed now.

Hermione scrunched her face up.

“Was it that bad?” Malfoy said, laughing “I knew Weasley never had any game,”

“It’s not because of that,” Hermione said, “I just hate that phrase.”

“What phrase?”

“’Losing your virginity’, ‘being deflowered’, ‘losing your innocence’, they’re all so negative. Just say ‘your first time’ instead.” Hermione said, in heated response.

“I’ll repeat my earlier question then, how was your first time with the Weasel King?”

“I still can’t answer that,” Hermione said.

“Why not?” Malfoy asked her. “Everyone knows about it already from after the War, I just wanted to hear it from you.”

“It’s the wrong question,” Hermione said. “My first time wasn’t with him.”

“Seriously?” Malfoy asked her.

“Yeah, only Harry and Ginny know about it.” She gave him a look.

“Of course they do. Potter told me you guys share everything, I figured he’d know.” Malfoy responded.

“Well, yeah, I mean, he was there.” Hermione wafted her glass as if he was meant to realise something.

“Potter was in the room while you lost it?” Malfoy saw her hard gaze. “Sorry, while you had your first time?”

“It would have been hard for him not to have been,” Hermione fixed Draco with her intense stare.

“Why’s that?” Malfoy asked, not sure if he even wanted the answer now.

“Because it was with him. It was with Harry.”

Draco sat stock still. Hermione could see his brain whirling through his eyes, his face carefully passive. She couldn’t help but ask, “What are you thinking right now? Your thoughts are moving too fast and I can’t latch on to any of them.”

Draco turned to look at her and she saw confusion there. “I was thinking how I should have guessed that,” he told her. He rubbed across his forehead, his skin there crinkling in a frown. “Potter told me that he knew everything about you, he wasn’t lying.”

“No, Harry doesn’t lie if he can help it.” Hermione replied, softly.

Draco seemed to make an adjustment within and then he sprung the question at her yet again. “How was your first time with Potter then?”

Hermione rolled the whisky around in her glass, looking into it. She flicked her tongue across the corner of her mouth again, “It was nice. He was slow and loving. It didn’t hurt, I felt safe and cared for.”

“When? How? Sorry, Granger, but this is a serious curveball. Once again you have rocked all my expectations of you,” Draco said to her and she exhaled to tell him the story.

“After everything that had happened sixth year at school and the attack at Bill and Fleur’s wedding, I Apparated Harry and Ron away and we started searching for the Horcruxes. Months passed by with nothing, and there was a fight. Ron left us, Harry was angry and I was so upset, I cried myself to sleep almost every night. One evening Harry wanted to cheer me up and we started dancing. He was missing Ginny and I was heartbroken. We held each other and rocked back and forth, when I lifted my head from his shoulder, he leaned down and kissed me. It was more a thank you for staying with him than anything, but we were both so starved for affection it just became more. We lay down on a bed in the tent and gave each other our first times. We constantly asked the other if they were OK and we both were. It wasn’t all fireworks and passion, but it had a quiet intensity all the same. I didn’t orgasm, but I didn’t need to. I couldn’t have asked for a better experience,” she smiled at Draco, her eyes shining with the fond memory. “We held each other afterwards before it sunk into me how reckless it had been with neither of us keeping watch outside, so I got up to take the first shift and let Harry sleep. It didn’t happen again, and neither of us wanted it to, but we were both happy with what happened.”

Draco was looking at her with interest. “Sounds like it was almost completely opposite to mine. Pansy pretty much jumped me and afterwards said she’d always wanted me to be her first. Then I heard her sixth-year boyfriend bragging that they’d slept together later that week.”

“Do you regret it?” Hermione asked him.

“No, Pansy was hot and we were friends, I cared about her and she was really aggressive about it. She still is in fact,” he said, taking another drink as Hermione snorted. “So Miss Ginerva doesn’t mind? You said she knew about it.”

“Harry has a hard time keeping anything from Ginny, I had to do some serious threatening to ensure that he didn’t tell her the full extent of my activities for the Ministry when I had to act and dress more demurely around her. I also made Harry one of those contracts so if he ever did think about saying anything his tongue would stick to the roof of his mouth for an hour. Some hilarious circumstances have come from that, let me tell you,” Hermione said, looking into Draco’s eyes with her intense way. “You’re still wondering about Harry and me,” she said matter-of-factly.

Draco nodded and Hermione raised an eyebrow at him to indicate he could ask.

“You’re so comfortable with him, it seems like you’re together sometimes. You touch each other easily, and Harry smiles like a loon whenever you’re around. He defends and protects you and you have a habit of excluding others when you talk to each other.” Draco swallowed more whisky, Hermione could see the stoicism in him recoil at being forthright like this. Hermione thought the copious whisky they had drunk was helping him in that respect. “I guess what I want to ask is, is there anything in all that? Are there secret feelings that you are both denying yourselves?”

Hermione could see the answer he wanted in his eyes and smiled, able to give it to him. Shaking her head, she replied, “No, there isn’t anything. We have kissed once since then when he came to Australia to see me after I had a really hard time, but it was extremely obvious to the both of us that there was nothing there and hasn’t been since. He’s my brother and I’m his sister. Siblings clinging to each other from shared loss. We hold on tighter and touch each other often to remind ourselves that we are there, tangible and real now that there isn’t a mirror and oceans separating us. I figure that will settle down over time since it seems like I will be here from now on. I won’t be allowed to leave again.”

Draco looked visibly relieved, making Hermione smile into her glass, but she refrained from commenting on it knowing it would make him clam up and probably leave.

“Do you want to leave again?” Draco asked her.

“Yes,” he turned to look at her. “As you yourself have demonstrated, there are a lot of assumptions that are made about me, many of which I do not live up to anymore. It crushes me sometimes that I can’t be free to be who I want, that I have to put on a front, I find it rather abhorrent.” Hermione rubbed her chest as if the pressure was a physical pain on her.

“I understand that,” Draco said, obviously thinking of the attachments that had come with his family name.

“I know you do,” Hermione told him quietly. There was a heavy silence between them as they both thought about the night’s conversation. They had been up a long time now and the whisky was making them sleepy. Hermione curled herself up on the sofa, legs tucked in and lay her head beside the arm that was lying on the rounded end of the couch.

Her eyes started to droop and she watched Draco through her lashes, he was breathing deeply, his whisky now on the coffee table. His eyes were closed as he lay perpendicular to the ceiling. His high cheekbones causing shadows to play across the hollows of his face, his lips closed and looking soft.

“I really want to kiss you right now,” Hermione sighed, watching him open his eyes to stare at the ceiling before she closed her own. “But I won’t.” The next moment she was deep asleep.

Draco watched her, feeling his gut twisting within him. He had officially caught _feelings_ , whether they had come from Granger or the illness had come upon him of their own accord, he couldn’t tell. Her hair was falling into her face and his fingers ached to brush it back. She was so beautiful, so open with everything she did and said, never shying away and challenging him on the deepest levels of himself. He closed his eyes again and evened out his breathing. He knew he should go home, but he didn’t want to, he wanted to stay here with her, content and full of good whisky. It was these thoughts that sent him into his own sleep.

* * *

Waking up the next day, Draco found a soft woollen blanket covering him. The sky was overcast and gray outside and he couldn’t tell what the time was. The other couch was empty, Granger was no longer there, but there was a note waiting in the place she had slept. It slightly annoyed him that she knew he would look over there for her instead of placing it on the coffee table. ‘I’m outside’ was all it said.

Draco stood up and stretched having not slept on anything other than a bed in a long time so his muscles were bunched up uncomfortably. He went into her kitchen and made himself a cup of coffee. He stirred it while looking at Granger’s fridge, it had wizarding Polaroid photos all over it. One of her at a karaoke bar surrounded by friends, another of her standing in a park while cherry blossoms fell around her and one of her and Jun-ki, the man hugging her from behind and whispering in her ear as the photo Hermione smiled shyly , eyes downcast. Draco turned away as the photo couple kissed and headed out the French doors he had seen Jun-ki disappear through that night. On the balcony he saw the hot tub, connecting that this was where the splash had come from last time he had visited. He kept walking until he was at the back of the house and found Hermione reading a large book and sipping a tea. She was wearing a Kelly green skirt that went past her knees and a white and navy striped top. Her hair and makeup were in place again and a smell of verbena wafted from her, perhaps from a shower she’d taken. She looked relaxed and gorgeous, as he sat down next to her.

“Good morning,” she said smiling brightly at him before returning to her book. Her hand played with the back of her neck as her soft-looking hair fell over one of her shoulders.

“What are you reading?” Draco asked her, looking at the tome resting on the table.

“It’s the latest offering on Arithmancy,” Hermione said. “They’ve made some excellent new discoveries recently.”

“Still studying even now Granger?” he asked her.

“It’s best to keep up with the new teachings,“ she said, flipping a page and flicking her tongue out over the corner of her mouth and over her canine again. Every time Draco saw her do that now something inside him clenched.

“Why do you do that?” he asked her. “You never used to.”

“Do what?” she asked him, still focused on her book.

“That thing with your tongue,” he replied.

She finally looked at him, eyes intense again, boring into him. “You’ve been looking at my tongue? Malfoy, how forward of you,” she smiled, turning back down again. She tucked her hair behind an ear.

“No, you do this new thing, you lick the corner of your mouth and run your tongue over your tooth, I’m not the only person who noticed, Boot pointed it out your first day.” Her hair swung back rebelliously.

“I know what you meant, I was just Draco-baiting you, as the Weasleys say,” she looked up at him and shut her book. “When I was sailing around the Greek islands last year, I slipped over and I slightly chipped my tooth on a champagne glass. It still doesn’t feel the same, and when I’m concentrating on something really hard, I forget to control myself from running my tongue over the rough part.”

“The Weasleys have invented a term for winding me up?” Draco asked in a blunt voice.

Hermione just laughed, the sound tinkling in the air. “Yes, a George-ism I’m afraid,”

“Figured as much,” Draco said, finishing his coffee before it needed a Warming charm.

“I think I have figured out a good disguise for myself, I’ve been practising this morning and I can do it with wandless magic now. Watch,” she closed her eyes and flicked her wrist, her brown curly hair turning stick-straight and black, opening her eyes, they were a shocking green. She looked good, but not like Hermione anymore. Only her lips remained the same.

“That’s good, natural almost, will you be able to put the glamours on quickly if needed?”

“Yes, I based it on Harry, as long as I picture him, I can do it quickly, I thought using him as a foundation would mean I would never alter it so every time would be exactly the same, what do you think? Good idea?”

Draco surveyed her and realized that it really was like looking at a female version of Potter. “It’s creepy if I’m honest. You do look like him, except pretty. I don’t think anyone would recognise you,” he said, searching her face but finding it weird so he focused on her lips which were still the lips he remembered from Granger.

“It’s like I really am Harry’s sister,” Granger said, brushing black hair behind an ear.

Draco snorted, “A sister he’s slept with,” he saw her hair escape again, hiding her reaction to his glib comment.

“I didn’t mean anything by that,” he said. Granger shook her head, still turned away from him, it made him feel awkward, he couldn’t tell if she was upset or not.

There was a silence and not one he enjoyed. “Granger?” he asked, leaning in the move the curtain of her black hair but sprang back when she turned to him suddenly.

“What’s the theme for the party we’re going to next week?” she said, her now-green eyes looking into him. He sighed, she had been thinking about her character, not about what he’d said. That was good.

“It’s Leather and Lace,” he said, looking her over again, getting used to this face. She looked beautiful like this as well, but she didn’t look like the Granger he knew and that thought disturbed him slightly since this stranger acted so much like her.

“Ooh, fun!” she exclaimed, clapping her hands together. “I’m guessing you never dress to the themes and just go in a tux or a good suit and robes, right?”

“Yes, I’m not a costume person,” he said in response.

“Well, you are this time,” Granger gave me a mischievous smile.

“No. No, I will not,” Draco said, leaning away from her and her suggestion.

“Yes. Yes, you will,” she insisted. “And you will tell Le Roux that it was me who forced you into it,” she was gazing at him with that absorbing quality again.

“That won’t be hard, it’s not even a lie,” he grumped. “No, I refuse, the theme is Leather and Lace, I’m a Malfoy, I have a reputation to uphold.”

A glittering impishness entered Granger’s eyes and she affected a lazily bored stance, touching her fingers delicately on her face and crossing her legs, an arrogant, self-assured smirk working its way across her mouth. “What shall we dress you up as? Who wears a lot of leather and lace? How about a cowboy? We can put you in some assless chaps and a 10-gallon hat, a leather vest with nothing underneath... yes, I’d like that.” Granger drawled silkily at him through half-lidded eyes. “Or what about a flamenco dancer? Tight flared trousers and a lace shirt?”

“I wouldn’t wear those in a million fucking years Granger, don’t even think about it,” he said to her in a tone so full of warning it almost contained thunder, his eyes sparking lightning towards the infuriating witch. “And what’s with the act? It’s a little pretentious don’t you think?”

Granger snapped out of it, back to her natural state, open and free, smiling prettily. “Pretentious is it? I was being you as you were in school,” she said, winking at him.

“I take it back then, it was clearly amazing,” he retorted.

“You cut quite a striking figure back then, Malfoy,” Granger told him, brushing her hair which was still black behind her ear again. “You did have a rather annoying way of getting what you wanted and of demanding respect from our classmates, even if that respect came from a place of fear,” her hair swung forward yet again and she touched it become its natural colour and curls. “I thought it would help me to get what I need in the operation, too.”

“It probably will,” Draco mused, he had been rather unchallenged at Hogwarts, except when it came to Potter and Granger who had often managed to get one up on him.

Hermione had closed her eyes and re-opened them to be her original colour, the sight of the chocolate pools restabilising his growing feeling of unease, he didn’t like looking at her as someone else when they were at her house, surrounded by all things Granger. The witch opened her book up again and brushed the hair back and Draco found himself staring at it as a few seconds later it fell forward yet again.

He reached his fingers and tucked the re-offending strand securely behind her ear, “Bloody hell, Granger, could you just-“ but then he stopped. Her cheek was resting in his palm and she was looking at him in surprise, a blush rising, pink and sweet on her face, her mouth slightly opened and her eyes wide, staring into his. The moment held and he could feel his heart beating fast in his chest the sound amplified with the tension between them. Then her features melted into a smile.

“Took you long enough,” she said, softly. “I thought you never would after the third time, but I thought I’d try again just in case.”

“You’re playing me,” Draco said, stating it as fact rather than making it a question. He still did not move from her touch though. _Tricky witch_ , he thought, intrigued that she’d surprised him yet again. “How very cunning of you,” he told her. “You should add this to your arsenal, it works very well.”

“Thank you,” Granger replied to him, knowing it was a compliment on his end, “It’s not completely disingenuous, though,” she paused and Draco raised an eye brow at her. “Like I said last night, I really want to kiss you, but I won’t,” she removed herself from his grasp, returning to her book. “I guess you have things you want to do with your own weekend, so I’ll let you go and see you on Monday,” she flipped another page of her book, immersing herself in the text.

Draco pulled his hand back and got up, “See you at work,” he said, starting to head out, she waved at him with a hand but didn’t look up. “Oh, and Granger, you better have a new password for me for next time I come over,” he added a sultry tone to his voice and went to the Floo to go back home.

Pleasuring himself in his shower, Draco thought about Granger and the way she had slightly tilted her head toward him at that last comment. He knew what that meant, that even though she had been pretending to ignore him, she had been hyper-aware of him the entire time and she was thinking about the implications of a repeat visit just as much as he was. Picturing the way her face had blushed as he’d held it, the promise of so many things in her eyes, he knew that if Granger was thinking about it as much as he was then she’d be thinking about it again and again and again.


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hermione flexes her honey trap-ness but can her team handle it?

Chapter 12

The week flew by for Hermione with a lot happening at work and socially. On Monday Ginny had coaxed every salacious detail out of her about the weekend with Malfoy and had encouraged her to bed the man already just so she could know what he was like.

Tuesday, Theo had made it official with Jacinta and had introduced her to the team at the Leaky Cauldron that night, causing Terry to do the same with Cadney the following day.

On Thursday, Justin Finch-Fletchley and his boyfriend had a massive argument but had reconciled within 8 hours and Padma and Michael had that continually smug, satisfied look of a couple in the honeymoon period who thought that their relationship was perfect and could never go wrong.

Blaise, Malfoy and Hermione had taken to lunching together to stop the incessant prattle of their coupled up colleagues. Although these outings often turned into the two men berating Hermione for putting them through this.

Friday finally came and Harry and Hermione were absent from the office, getting ready for the night ahead and rehearsing a few final times before they Apparated to the rendezvous point where Boot, Nott and Malfoy waited.

“Everyone here?” Harry had asked moving out of the shadows of the alleyway and into the quiet street they had picked.

“The three of us are here,” Nott said, taking out the call-mirrors he and Terry would be using that night. “Granger with you?”

“Yeah,” Harry said, bringing Hermione into the light from the dark of the alley. She had a long velvet cloak over her body and her face was mostly hidden by a lace mask, all they could clearly see was her red mouth smiling at them.

“Hi, everyone,” Hermione said to them. Keeping the cloak over herself carefully. She wasn’t dressed in any way, shape or form for the suburbs.

Harry went into action mode, going over the plan one more time, “OK, Boot and Nott, you will both be on the outer periphery well away so that it isn’t suspicious, but you will have the mirrors on you to hear and see what’s going on. You can head in if and when the signal is given and we need to get them out. Malfoy, you can’t leave her on her own for a single second, I don’t care if your bladder bursts, you drag her down and make sure she goes with you to St. Mungo’s.” He turned to Hermione, taking one of her hands in support. “Hermione, I will count on you using that large and unyielding brain of yours and you know the phrase that means we will pull you out if needed.”

“Yes, I remember,” Hermione told her friend, stroking the back of his hand with her thumb to reassure him. Harry had been anxious with worry all afternoon as Hermione had gone through the plan over and over with him. There were no wands allowed inside the party and Harry was very concerned for her safety. They had fitted her wig and contact lenses on just before they’d come. Harry knew she wasn’t recognisable like this, but there was a hollow pit in his stomach that wished she wouldn’t do it at all.

“I know that you know, but I need to hear it,” Harry told his friend, pleadingly.

“Sweet dreams are made of this,” Hermione intoned, using the Muggle song lyric since it could be applied to many different things innocuously but was distinctive enough that the team knew to move.

Harry took a deep breath. “OK, everyone, time to flare up your call mirrors for testing, remember not to fire them back up until Malfoy and Hermione are safely through the ward checks, otherwise the magic will show on them and this will end before it began. Hermione will completely take off the charm and reapply it once inside. No one knows of the shortcut Hermione made for the process so it won’t show up at all. Alright, Boot, yours is the right earring, Nott, yours the left. Mine will be the choker. Testing now, Carpe Noctem.”

Hermione had turned a rhinestone in each of her earrings into a call-mirror and the same happened with the choker she wore at her throat. Each of the jewellery items had accents of lace on them to cooperate with the theme of the night. This was what Hermione had been working tirelessly on for all those late nights in the office and she hoped it succeeded. She had activated them at Harry’s house before they arrived and she sighed in relief as Terry, Theo and Harry all showed that they had contact. The stones she had chosen were all too small for any reflections in them to be noted, but had cast telescope charms on them so that the three men could enlarge or minimize the images as they saw fit. Having established that they worked, Hermione touched each one and whispered the incantation to disengage them from any magic, “Obscurum per obscurius.” They saw that the mirrors went blank and Malfoy tested them with all of the spells Hermione would be put through at the mansion, but they did not respond. Hermione performed the spells on herself just in case and there was also nothing. Relinquishing her wand into Harry’s care, the wizard tipped Hermione’s hood back to cup her face in his hands.

“I will be under the Cloak in the grounds, I will try my damnedest to never let you out of my sight,” he said to her and Hermione nodded.

“I will send you two my Patronus to let you know when it is OK for you to activate the mirrors again,” Harry said to Terry and Theo.

They two men acknowledged what he’d said, but stared at Hermione who was in her disguise. Her straight black hair was pulled up into a high ponytail on the top of her head and her lips were painted red. Her eyes were a brilliant green and smoky makeup had been applied around them. Her skin glowed flawlessly and on top of her head she had a pair of cat’s ears that moved with her.

“You look great, Hermione,” Terry said, slightly in awe of her appearance.

“Won’t those be detected?” Theo asked her, pointing at the cat ears.

“I thought being detected with a couple of Glamour Charms was less suspicious than turning up with none,” Hermione answered him simply to which Theo nodded his acceptance. “OK, Malfoy, time to costume up!” Hermione clapped her hands deliciously knowing how much Malfoy resented having to do this.

Waving his wand he changed from his robes and suit into a pair of leather trousers, a white T-shirt and a leather jacket, becoming a bad boy biker in the blink of an eye, and a rather sexy one at that, Hermione thought.

“Don’t even start,” Malfoy warned Theo and Terry who looked like they had indeed been gearing up to say something. “Come on, Granger, let’s move,” he straddled the motorbike that Harry had let him borrow for the night, throttling it and waiting for her. It was an added affectation, but Hermione knew it would draw attention from their host which is what she wanted.

She began moving toward him, but Harry pulled her in for a hug which she returned, she could feel Harry shaking. This was the first real danger she would be in since she had arrived back and Harry didn’t seem too ready to face it. “I’ll be fine, Harry, we have loads of contingencies in place, just in case.”

“Yeah, I know, I do,” he said, reluctantly letting her go. “I’ll be flying over you guys the whole way.” Giving him a final look, Hermione sat on Sirius’ old bike behind Malfoy. She gripped around his waist and pulled herself close as they took off for the manor.

It would take them fifteen minutes or so to reach the Le Roux’s from where they were, but they had to drive since Le Roux had anti-Apparating wards encompassing the mansion. Hermione revelled in the wind against her face, they hadn’t needed helmets since the bike was charmed to ensure they didn’t sustain any injuries if they came off and Malfoy needn’t even drive it since it worked automatically once a destination had been set. Her gray velvet cloak flew out behind her like a sail and after about five minutes of getting used to the bike, she lifted her head off Malfoy’s shoulder, experimentally raising an arm so she could feel the wind rushing against it. In a fit of spontaneity she shifted her arm higher and wrapped her stiletto-heeled vinyl boots around Malfoy’s waist in their stead. Leaning back at an angle, she freed her both her arms, stretching them out to the side, feeling her cape flutter around her, pulling and writhing, wanting the ultimate freedom.

“What are you doing?” Malfoy yelled back at her, half turning his head toward her  
.  
“I’m not sure,” Hermione called back over the rushing wind, “but I think this is the closest I’ll get to flying while still on the ground.” Her broom skills had still not improved after all these years and she exulted in this feeling. The bike vibrating underneath her as it sped along the highway she watched the sky, the oranges and purples mixing together with the beginning of sunset. She began laughing, it felt so amazing, she would have to make Harry take her out on this thing again sometime.

Suddenly Malfoy’s hand shot backwards and captured one of her own, making her crush against his body. “Fucking hell, Granger, you bloody terrify me sometimes,” he shouted to her. “Just hang onto me, and don’t let go!”

Hermione acquiesced to his demand, taking her legs back to where they had been before and wrapped her arms so that one wound around his waist and the other circled up to his shoulder. She felt a devilish thrill pulse through her. “Whatever you want, Malfoy, I will give it to you,” she said the words into his ears, but she didn’t know whether he would hear them since she hadn’t raised her voice much.

Minutes later they arrived at the Le Roux Manor and the party was already well underway. Hermione watched as people walked up the steps into the entrance hall where the Glamour tests were being applied. She saw a man dressed just as she’d teased Malfoy, assless chaps and a leather vest and very little else. There was also a striking looking woman who had worn a lacy see-through dress with nothing in between that and her skin. Malfoy and Theo had not exaggerated the nature of these parties and this one seemed to be more extreme than others had like the one Daphne Macnair had gone to last week with Malfoy.

Parking the bike at the side of the house, Hermione hopped off it and stuck her black lace eye mask across her face. She turned to Malfoy ready to ask him if it was even, and had opened her mouth to do so, but she paused before she got the words out. He was staring at her with such intensity that she felt heat rush through her. His silver eyes rippled in the night and she could see his muscles were tight underneath his T-shirt. He had definitely heard her on the bike. She walked over to him, her cloak still hiding her costume and pressed her body into his, gently coaxing his shoulders down to relax them, massaging in small circles.

Her red lips curved into a smirk and she brought on all of the swagger Malfoy had when he’d been a boy. “I see you were affected by my words, Malfoy,” she leaned up and whispered into his ear once more, “Remember them well.”

She began to pull away, but Malfoy’s hand shot out and grabbed her again, “I’ll hold you to that, Felicia,” he said, the rumble of his words pulsing through her. “Be glad I like games,” he continued, his fingers digging into her upper arm through the cloak. He used his other hand to reach up and adjust her mask. “Let’s go,” he crooked her arm through his elbow and they entered the house.

“Mr. Malfoy,” an employee of the manor greeted her companion as they entered, “Always a pleasure, another new guest for us tonight?”

“Yes,” Malfoy said, giving the man his Protean Charm as a token to get in.

“Miss, just go through to the other line, please,” the well-dressed attendant said to her. Hermione walked to where he indicated. It was a room off to the side that had glass walls to be watched by the security at the doors in case of any trouble.

A burly guard was waving over the new guests with his wand to test for charms. She stepped up and spread as she was asked. “What’s your name?” another guard asked her.

“Felicia Lestrange,” Hermione threw out haughtily.

“Charmed cat ears,” the wand-waving guard said to his colleague, he waved the wand down her back, stopping at her rear end. “What’s that?” he said to her as the wand indicated some magic there. Hermione waved her cat’s tail out from under the cloak, giving the guard a withering look worthy of any Malfoy as she indicated her displeasure in his lingering over the area.

“Is that all?” she drawled at them, in a bored tone.

“Yes, that’s everything, Miss,” they said, already waving the next person over.

She swayed over to Malfoy again, her posture perfect and her mouth quirked in a knowing superiority. “Get me to the cloakroom, I need to get this heavy thing off me,” Hermione said, sunk into the character already, her eyes flashing dangerously.

They walked over to a room set off to the side in the main area of the party. Hermione took off her cloak and revealed her outfit underneath and reactivated the charms on her jewellery. Her high platformed boots wound up to her knees and the rest of her was covered in liquid latex that she had applied with Ginny earlier that day without magic so that it wouldn’t set off the Glamour charm test. The suit went all over her body in shiny black, ending at her wrists and stopping at her neck where the choker rested. The latex also finished at her ankles, but that was hidden by the boots she wore. Free from the cloak, her charmed cat tail rose up experimentally, flicking around in the air. She turned to Draco and found him roving over her with a lust that wasn’t hidden at all, but that was all according to plan, as was the next part when Malfoy moved in on her.

“My, you look wonderful tonight, Felicia,” he said, grabbing her hand and entwining it with his own. He kissed the back of her hand as they used this manoeuvre to swap the bug into her possession. The cloak room was right beside both the entrance to the manor and into the party so it was the perfect place to put one of their acquisitions from Jun-ki, they would be able to learn the manor’s comings and goings from this position.

Draco leaned his body further into hers and she stepped back once as she bumped into the antique Louis XIV side table beside the cloakroom, offering guests Mint Humbugs on its surface. Hermione reached behind her and clenched around the edge of the table while Malfoy continued to pretend to nuzzle into her throat as a hand caressed her face. Hermione closed her eyes as if in pleasure and stuck the bug to the underside of the table, a silent charm zinging through her to make it glue in place.

“Oh sweet, sagwa,” she moaned, the Korean word activating the bug and she gave herself into the sensations Malfoy was pulling through her which were alarmingly potent. Her cat tail had wound around him, pulling him closer to her. They angled together, their eyes holding as they went in for a kiss, which wasn’t part of the plan, but would have been fun to do anyway.

“Isn’t it a little early in the evening for this, Draco?” a smooth voice called from behind them. Straightening up, Malfoy turned to the man. Le Roux stood there, oozing sophistication and charm. He was wearing a lace tuxedo and his dark hair was coiffed so well it rivalled Gilderoy Lockhart’s.

Malfoy shook the man’s hand guiding Hermione forward with a touch at her back. “Ah, seeing her I understand,” Le Roux continued, opening his arms as he appraised Hermione, particularly the way the latex stretched over her breasts outlining them perfectly. “Beautiful girl, welcome to my home, I am Eddie Le Roux,” his English was elegant and there was only a slight lilt to his words to indicate his French background.

“The pleasure is all mine, I’m sure,” Hermione said with her most full-force Malfoy grin, the one that had charmed teachers into giving him house points and girls fan themselves. She held out her hand in such a way that she could expect him to either shake it or kiss it. Pausing a microsecond while he looked over her offering, he did something that caused Hermione to have a thrill of triumph. He took her fingers delicately in his own but then brought the rounded skin between her thumb and index finger and gently sucked on it, maintaining her eye contact while he did so. Opening her Third Eye quickly, she confirmed her suspicions, Le Roux was a masochist submissive and he liked to push. She could work with that very well. Closing her Third Eye she penetrated him with her gaze.

“My good sir, how bold you are,” Hermione said to him, sultrily. She felt Draco’s arm snake its way around her waist and as Le Roux let her hand go, she curled into her “date” and caressed his chest lightly with circles of her fingers.

“Who is your enchanting guest tonight Draco?” Le Roux said, addressing the taller wizard.

“I’m Felicia Lestrange,” Hermione said, keeping control of the conversation.

“Lestrange, really?” Le Roux said slowly. “Bellatrix was a dear friend of mine, any relation of yours?”

“Bellatrix was the wife of my cousin a few times removed. I met her only a few times, but she was a witch of skill and passion. She left a mark that even her passing cannot erase.” Hermione replied to his question with conviction in her voice. She often found that if you used true words when weaving lies, they did a better job of sticking. Bellatrix had been a skilled witch and passionate in her endeavours for Voldemort. The torture the woman had inflicted upon her had left their marks that she still lived with as well. Technically, her speech was the truth.

“Your guest obviously has excellent taste and perception,” Le Roux addressed Malfoy again.

“Yes, she does, and many more things besides,” Malfoy said as Hermione’s tail brushed its way down his arm, bare now that he’d checked his leather jacket into the cloakroom. “She even made me dress to the theme appropriately even though, as you know, I refuse to normally. Why you insist on them Roux, I have no idea. This one though, she insisted it would be rude not to and promised great punishment if I refused.”

“Is that so?” Le Roux’s eyes smouldered at Hermione. He took her hand again, “My dear, let me look at you,” he said turning her in a circle, his other hand running over her waist as she completed it. “Darling girl, your costume has no closures, however, will you remove yourself from its confines?”

“Monsieur Le Roux, coming tonight as a cat burglar I’m lucky to be equipped with sharp claws that just love to scratch,” she replied, arching her fingers in demonstration. “They help me out with many of my various itches.”

“Exposing yourself as a cat burglar in my manor, what is it you plan to burgle?”

“The hearts, souls and minds of men,” Hermione rejoined devilishly. She grinned at the gentleman, showing all her teeth. Her tail was still sinuously winding its way around Malfoy who was stroking the fluffy and soft fur, twining it between his fingers, Hermione could tell he was watching their interaction carefully, making sure that nothing was putting her in danger.

Le Roux was almost salivating though, Hermione was releasing an aura and it was having a magnificent response upon the Frenchmen. His eyes were dilated and she watched as his fingers twitched as if it was difficult to refrain from touching her.

“Felicia what a strange and wonderful woman you are, if you would allow, I would like to make your acquaintance later tonight.” He said it as a statement, but Hermione challenged him.

“I am taken for tonight, but you are more than welcome to make my acquaintance the next time I come here, which I promise will be alone,” she used all of the haughtiness she had learned from various Slytherins at school and shot him a heated glance to let him know she knew what he proposed and that she was willing to engage.

Le Roux’s face became stony, though, “I think you may find, my dear lady, that I am unaccustomed to being told no.”

Hermione was unfazed and her reply dripped with a self-assurance she would not normally be able to rouse within herself, “Then you will _learn_ to do so Monsieur Le Roux, as I AM accustomed to being heeded, now if you will excuse us,” and she drew Malfoy away, leaving Le Roux looking less angry and more intrigued.

“Fuck, I need a drink,” Malfoy said, as Hermione led them over to a table filled with food with a fully stocked bar beside it. “Whisky, straight,” he said.

“I’ll have the same,” Hermione added to the handsome bartender who was shirtless with only lederhosen on as his uniform.

Malfoy and Hermione circled the party, introducing her around by talking to people Malfoy knew, some of which she also recognised. There was a woman and her husband from the Improper Use of Magic Office and Hermione spied Millicent Bulstrode over the other side of the room. Hermione noticed that Le Roux stayed away from them but kept her in his eyeline the whole time. She flirted with the various people she met, spoke eloquently and with specific knowledge about the dark magic trade routes along the Silk Road and comported herself as a figure with connections in various locales around the world whose interests lay in the less savoury forms of magic. She did not speak to Le Roux again, but placed important phrases with people she knew from their research would most likely feed them back to Le Roux. Since they had already done everything they had come to do, plant the bug and introduce Hermione to Le Roux they only stayed a couple of hours before they were heading out the door with their effects taken from the cloakroom.

“Miss Lestrange?” Le Roux called to them as they reached the final step, Hermione turned back around.

“Monsieur Le Roux?” Hermione queried, striking a bored countenance.

“Leaving so soon? You cannot have accomplished your goal already,” he said to her, referencing their earlier conversation and stepping forward. Malfoy went to get the motorbike while maintaining the pair in his eyeline, also knowing that Potter was around to catch anything he missed.

“My goal was more successful and swifter than I thought, it seems my skills are as sharp as my claws, Monsieur.”

Le Roux looked at her with his blue eyes flickering with an unbound desire. “I would like for you to have this, I hope to see you again very soon.”

Hermione reached out to take the Protean charmed fleur-de-lis from the man’s hand and had just grazed her fingers to take the token when Le Roux grabbed them and placed a kiss upon her knuckles.

Hermione drew her hand back sharply. “Monsieur Le Roux that is the last time you will touch me without my express permission,” her stare was hard and searing, dark illicit promises pulsating in them, the effect of it showing in Le Roux’s trousers. “Now if you will excuse me, I have things to do, and those things take a good long time to do properly, good night, sir,” she elongated the adjectives to load them with insinuations her gaze focused and commanding and with that she turned and walked over to where Malfoy leaned on the motorbike.

As the blond wizard lent a hand to help her on, Le Roux called out to him, “Draco, you are one lucky man!”

Malfoy straddled the motorbike and looked up at Le Roux’s silhouetted form from the glowing interior of his house. “Yes. I am,” he said back, lifting a hand as Granger grasped him tightly again, before igniting the bike and speeding their way out of there.

* * *

They met up at the rendezvous point with the others in the same spot as before, Draco arriving with Granger first. They got off the bike and Granger took off her cloak, laying it across the bike before leaning on the vehicle. She cast some charms to determine if anything or anyone had followed and nodded to show they were in the clear.

Draco studied her as she casually tapped her hand against the still warm bike. She had done very well in there, cool and calm, keeping character the whole time. She had affected the pure-blood elite mannerisms and speech so well that it had nearly been disturbing. Every sentence had been carefully calculated in a truly pureblood fashion and watching her had made his heart race, but it had been in warning. She had become a viper, ready to strike and his body had told him to run. She did look phenomenal in her outfit, the tight skin of the suit sticking to her all over, wrapping her sinuously from neck to ankle. He had constantly felt his gaze slide over her form and he was doing it now as well. The witch was stunning, he would love to run his hands all over, knowing the slick material would glide underneath his touch. But she wasn’t Granger right now, and if he was to take the woman it would be as herself.

“It went well, didn’t it?” Granger said, catching him out on staring at her. She took off her wig and skull cap in one swift motion and shook her hair free, removing the Sticking Charm and letting the brown curls float around her, bouncy and full. Draco shuddered as she reached up and removed the contact lenses from her eyes.

“You say Muggles wear those things every day?” Draco said, waving two fingers in front of his face to indicate his eyes.

“Not all of them, but some,” she replied, stifling a laugh at his open revulsion at touching her eyes in such a way. “You didn’t answer my question.”

Draco opened his mouth to reply but Harry swooped down on his broom and took off his cloak.

“’Mione, you OK? Did everything go alright? How are you feeling? Why isn’t your cloak on, aren’t you cold?” he peppered her with questions, leaving his broomstick floating and rushing over to Granger, grabbing hold of her before caressing her hands with his own, worry etching his features. “Bloody hell, I knew this was going to be hard, but I didn’t realise how hard.”

“Harry, Harry! It’s OK, I’m fine, I wasn’t even nervous and that was nothing.” She laughed. “If you can’t even handle this much you won’t be able to even begin to deal with what I have in store next.”

Granger rubbed Harry on his back as he leaned forward and inhaled and exhaled slowly. Draco narrowed his eyes at the interaction. There it was again, that odd way they had with each other. After the revelations of their relationship Granger had divulged, he saw their actions even more suspiciously in the way his upbringing had prepared him. When he consciously reminded himself to look at it as if they were brother and sister it seemed more normal, he had seen the Weasleys act like this around their baby sister if she took a nasty hit in a Quidditch game. He just had to keep reminding himself of that.

Granger was still soothing Potter who had calmed down seeing Granger so unaffected by the experience. Draco tuned back into their conversation.

“I thought it went well! Didn’t it go well?” she turned to Draco, eyes widening and discreetly jerking her head toward Potter to make him reassure the wizard as well. He curled a lip and shook his head. Giving comfort was not something he did, preferring to leave until the situation had cleared.

He was saved the hassle by the arrival of Nott and Boot.

“Hermione, that was great!” Boot said to her, “Le Roux is completely enamoured with you already, he’s already asked one of his staff to track down your address to send you a gift and a request for you to make it back to the mansion within the week.”

“Really? He must be gagging for it more than I thought, luckily I should have him thoroughly gagged and bound in the next week or two, the secrets spilling out like a nasty bout of food poisoning,” her matter-of-fact tone indicating the seriousness and literal element of her words.

Everyone turned and stared at her, even Harry seemed shocked by her statement.

“What?” Hermione said to them, glancing around, “This is it, boys. This is what you signed up for, and what I said just now was tame. Get a grip before your minds fry with the things I will be doing.”

Theo snorted at her and Terry just gaped with his mouth open. Harry stared at his friend trying to compute her statement. Draco contemplated the witch and wondered to himself whether he’d ever not be surprised by her.

“Maybe we should have a meeting about this on Monday for you to clue us in then,” Harry said having recovered a bit. “We need to prepare ourselves, clearly.”

Granger turned to Draco and fixed him with a stare, “I thought you would have at least experimented with this kind of thing, Malfoy.”

“You over-estimated me, I guess,” Draco coolly replied.

There was an awkward pause. Draco didn’t think it had fully sunk in for any of them that Granger wouldn’t just be having a flirtation with Le Roux. Not even a romantic affair. No, they were going to have eyes and ears on acts that were making Boot blush and Theo avert Hermione’s eyes. Potter looked like he was going to hyperventilate again. 

Granger wrapped her arms around herself then, looking vulnerable for the first time. She closed her eyes, “Please try to understand, everyone, this is my job, don’t judge me.”

The pause elongated, stringing uncertainty between them all before Theo spoke, “I’m not judging you, Hermione, I actually think it’s pretty kickass how confident you are, I think it’s just because, well, it’s _you_ , so we are a bit shocked. And we now realise we’re going to be witness to it all. It’s a bit gross.” 

“I agree,” Terry said to her, walking over to stroke her arm. “Not the being gross part although… ahem, anyway, I think you did really great.” For the second time that night Draco was given the _say something_ gesture and he growled before he acquiesced.

“Granger, your attitude now isn’t going to ensnare Le Roux and we will need you exactly as you were tonight to pull that off. Your performance tonight has given us our best lead yet.”

“Really?” she looked up at him, eyes shining with tears.

“Yes, really,” he said, softening at her being upset.

“Harry?” she said, reaching for best friend, Terry still stroking her arm looking concerned and Theo shifting from foot to foot wondering whether to join him or not.

Harry took her hand and held it again. “Sorry ‘Mione, I know this is what Kingsley expects from you. I’ve been told you have done this before and done it well, excellently in fact. It’s just different talking about it and seeing it,” he looked up at her in concern. “Wait, we’ve talked before about Uzbekistan being bad, just how bad was it?” The panic had risen again in his voice and Granger had to work to bring him back down.

Ignoring Potter’s question, Granger looked at them each in turn, a single tear slipping down her cheek, making them all take a step closer instantly, wanting to comfort her.

Seeing that, she straightened from her hunched and hurt position and removed the remaining hand from her middle, dropping the other that was holding Potter’s own and smiled at them. She swiped the tear away and leaned on the bike again, resting herself on the seat, the heels of her feet the only part left upon on the ground. Her confidence flooded back and Draco realised immediately she had yet again played them.

“Merlin’s bilious fucking stones, Granger,” he growled at her, eyes hardening. “You need to stop doing that, we’re your team, trust us and quit it with the manipulation or are you really just a snake in lion’s clothing?”

She raised her hands in surrender, “OK you got me. Sorry guys, but I meant what I said, this is what the mission is. I go in and I get what we need through any means necessary. Theory is all well and good, but the practice of it is tough. Trust is reciprocal, you know.”

“Wait- you’re not actually upset?” Theo asked her, frowning in consternation.

“No, I was proving a point, I’m a honey trap, manipulation is my forté and maybe you needed to experience what I can do. What I said tonight is true, I steal the hearts, minds and souls of men and empty their inner-most thoughts into the palm of my hand.” Granger stared them all down with ferociousness in her eyes that cowed and humbled. “Take this as a lesson of my powers beyond the wand.”

Terry nodded vigorously while Theo said, “Yes, ma’am.”

“I didn’t mean for- gods, Hermione, I’m sorry, I’ll get it together, I promise. I’ll be here for you, I want to be there every step you take,” Potter told her. He stepped close and hugged her, sighing in relief when she hugged him back.

“OK, take some time to adjust properly over the weekend everyone,” Granger said, she pointed at Boot, Nott and Potter in turn. “Talk to your girlfriends, I guarantee you will be similarly enlightened with them as you were with me.” The three men looked nervous at that, but nodded nonetheless. “Take me home, Malfoy,” she said, straddling the bike and waiting for him to move, staring more intensely than he’d ever felt her do so before.

He moved toward her not even going to question her method of transportation when Apparating would be so much easier. He sat in front of her and she latched around him yet again. “Harry, the bike will be back with you tomorrow, I need to feel the wind right now. Let’s go,” she told Draco and he did as she bid, riding off with the throttling power of the motorcycle underneath them. Granger was unmoving behind him until they had been riding for about ten minutes and then he felt her bang her head against his shoulder. He heard her swear and decided to distract her, engaging the motorbike’s fly function, he lifted them off the highway. It seemed to work as she lifted her head off him, one hand reaching to wade through the low-lying clouds they passed.

Setting them down right in front of her house, Draco disengaged the cloaking function on the bike and got off, turning to look at Granger when she didn’t move.

“Granger?” he said, she had placed her hands on the middle of the seat and was staring where they rested.

“Did I do wrong? Am I a terrible person?” she looked up at him, she was being real this time, he could tell because her face was crumpled, and she wasn’t actively maintaining a pretty countenance like she had before.

“No on both accounts,” he told her in a flat voice. He had figured out that if his answers were from a place of hard truth and not emotion then she would be more responsive.

“You’re right,” she said easily, accepting it since she had known that, but had needed reassurance. “Kingsley has sent me on a number of missions like this. The first was my idea to be honest, I knew I would have to come back otherwise. If I’d known Le Roux would be such an easy mark I would have come for a week and gone again,” she sighed. He knew she was thinking that she could have stayed away if she had known.

“As soon as you set foot back in England you knew you weren’t going to be leaving any time soon,” Draco told her. “Your friends wouldn’t let you. Potter isn’t going to release you back out there again, not without him by your side and that can’t happen either.”

“It sucks,” she replied, playing with a fingernail along the seam on the seat. “Want to get a drink upstairs, I don’t really want to...” she trailed off, unsure how to finish the sentence. “Choose my own whisky.”

Draco smirked at her. “Bloody hell, Granger, don’t be so needy,” he told her, eliciting a laugh from her.

“Shut up, you bastard, let’s go inside,” they went up and entered her flat. “Do you mind if I have a shower? You can help yourself to my whisky while I’m gone.” Without waiting for him to respond she went upstairs and into what he assumed was an ensuite.

Needing the bathroom himself, he moved down the hallway past where he knew the whisky cupboard was and opened the second door. There was a room for a toilet in there with a sliding door connecting it to a bigger bathroom with a tub and sink. As he relieved himself, he looked around the walls. Granger had painted a section white so that her visitors had decorated with the provided Muggle markers. He saw a message from Jun-ki, a well-known Korean poem that he had altered slightly to be about Hermione. Ginny had written what looked like a drunken conversation with herself. It had an arrow pointing to it from a message written by Granger saying “Ginny, what the hell?”. There were messages from Potter and George Weasley, Neville had written something, too and Luna had drawn an imaginary creature she thought was taking residence in the upper left corner of the room. Draco laughed at Granger’s strange ways. He also knew that she wasn’t feeling her usual self with the stress from the last half of the evening so he took up a pen and wrote ‘Fuzzy Wuzzy was here,’ before he spelled it to only appear when Granger was in there.

Washing up before he left, he opened her whisky cupboard picking up the bottles and perusing the information on them before ultimately choosing an Islay that promised to be extra smoky. He grabbed two glasses from Granger’s kitchen and some water as she had done the last time before taking them into the living room, putting everything on the coffee table before collapsing onto the couch he had slept on last weekend. He brought both legs onto it having been made to remove his shoes at the door, one laid out flat, the other bent at the knee. He had left the light in the room off so that only the kitchen bulbs drove the black night away.

He picked up his snifter and tasted the liquid, rolling it around his tongue, closing his eyes as he thought about the evening. He had been shocked yet again by her, but it only served to intrigue him further which he also hadn’t thought possible. The witch was all enigma and wisps of fog. When you thought you could latch on, it disappeared from your grasping fingers. And the way she had talked to Le Roux! Every answer perfect, made solely to create the maximum effect on the man and it had worked, he had seen that. He’d never seen Le Roux so engaged in a conversation the entire time he had known the wizard. She really could do this, and she was bloody amazing at it. He took another sip and let the peaty flavour hit his senses. He felt a pressure on the sofa and felt silk glide across the hand that was resting on his raised knee. Opening his eyes he saw Granger slide in between his legs and lie her head on his stomach, a lemon yellow floor-length gauzy night dress covering her form, a short V-neck hinting at the ample breasts he had spied earlier through her costume. Her head was turned to the side not looking at him, her hair pinned up haphazardly at the back of her head, the result looking effortless and elegant. Her face was free of make-up and she was beautiful, the light from the kitchen only hitting the high points of her forehead and cheekbones, her plump lips forever pouting.

“Just let me stay here, OK?” she said to him and he nodded silently even though she couldn’t see the movement.

She lifted her arm to pick up the whisky, “Mm, Caol Ila,” she said. Another silence before she tilted her head to look at him, “Malfoy?”

“Yeah?”

“Tell me something.”

“Like what?”

“Anything, it doesn’t matter.”

“Do you know the myth about my name?”

“The one about Heracles and the golden apples?”

“There is that one, but it’s not my favourite.”

“What would that be then?”

“It was during the war of the Titans, the Grecian gods of Olympus versus all the heinous monsters that threatened Zeus’ reign. Athena was attacked by a dragon, Draco, my namesake, and she tossed him into the sky where he remained for all eternity.”

“I didn’t know that one,” Granger replied quietly, nuzzling her head to be more comfortable against him.

“That’s what you’re like, Granger, you keep tossing me up into a strange and unfathomable darkness,” Draco wasn’t sure why he said it. Maybe because she was still feeling a bit vulnerable, for real this time. Maybe he was just horny and knew it would cause a reaction. Maybe because he wanted to see what would happen. 

Granger sat up, placing her arms either side of him. “What?” she said, searching his eyes but he looked back at her without humour. For all her bluster, he knew she had been shaken by the team’s reaction earlier. Grounding her with a sentence she didn’t expect was a foolproof way to take her mind off it.

“OK, I’m going to do it this time,” she said, a look of courage taking over her features. “I’m going to kiss you, but you can’t kiss back, it will be too tempting.”

Draco didn’t say anything as she inched closer to him and planted a sweet open-mouthed kiss against his mouth, taking his lower lip between the two of hers. Her eyes were closed and her lips felt soft and supple, better than he had imagined in his fantasies. He really wanted to move his own against her, but he knew that if he did it would push back further developments. He wanted those moments to come sooner rather than later and beginning to understand Granger as he did, he kept still, allowing her to form more trust with him. His body still reacted to her though, the angle was perfect for him to peek down her dress to see a white and yellow bra to match what she wore. His erection at the sight came on fast and fought against the leather trousers he was wearing almost painfully.

She pulled back from the caress and looked down noticing his straining pelvis, “Good thing I didn’t say not to move instead, you would have failed,” she smiled coyly. “Wait here, I’ll get you some sweatpants, they’ll be more comfortable.” She moved off the couch, going back up the stairs before returning with a pair of gray drawstring sweats.

“They’re men’s ones,” she said, tossing them to him, “they’re more comfortable I find.”

Draco moved into the bathroom to change, splashing some cold water on his face to shock him back down from the rising desire in him. Gripping the sink he did some deep breaths to regain control, she had said before that she didn’t want their first one to be a quickie and he wouldn’t make any moves unless she initiated them. Initiated without stipulations against him doing so that was.

Returning to the lounge, Granger was sitting on the couch again, patting the space beside her. He sat back as they were and she resettled herself on him. “You don’t mind, do you?” she asked him.

“I’m hardly going to say no, am I?” he replied.

“Is it OK to just stay like this? I like how solid you feel.” Her voice held a hint of hesitation, fingers playing with the hem of his cotton T-shirt.

“Sure, Granger,” he said, stifling a yawn. Even though it was still relatively early, the evening had taken a lot out of him.

“Thank you,” she breathed. “Really, for everything.”

Draco’s only response was to wrap his arms around her small frame, relieved when she didn’t object or even stiffen with the action. They were silent and Draco’s eyes closed listening to her breath evening out as her body used him for a mattress and pillow. Draco marvelled at how she had managed to get him to do this, as he pulled the blanket from the back of the couch to cover them before replacing his arm to envelop across her body and upper arm. How odd, he hadn’t done this since... since…

He sucked in a breath, opening his eyes again. Granger angled to see his face, eyes open, too. “What is it?” she inquired. “Are you uncomfortable?”

“I just realized I’ve never done this, never fallen asleep with a woman, not even in the same room like we did last time. Now I’ve done it twice,” the admission struck him. Not even his liaisons in Hogwarts had he been with an overnight guest.

“I actually have a theory as to why that might be,” she said.

“Which is?” Draco asked, frowning still at yet another revelation he was facing this night.

“I’ll tell you later, it’s not ready yet,” she paused, and he knew she was thinking, probably flicking her tongue out as well. “If you prefer to sleep in your own bed, I understand,” she continued, her tone friendly and warm to let him know she was telling the truth.

Draco thought about it. He really should, Granger and he weren’t together, and he didn’t have to do this. Didn’t have to but wanted to. That truth almost made him run anyway, but he stilled the impulse and pulled her in tighter. “No, I’ll stay,” he said.

“OK,” Granger replied.

It was the last thing spoken before they fell asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was pretty nervous about this chapter because Hermione has to start her seduction of the Big Bad. Things are going to start heating up now and there are portions not for the faint of heart (I'll do trigger warnings though). I hope you enjoyed it!


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok, I'm sorry there is a lot of cliche content in here, but I did warn this story was would be self-indulgent. I still hope you enjoy it!

Draco woke alone again on the couch, but the blanket was still over him. Sitting up he couldn’t see a note, but Granger would just expect him to know where she was. He could tell that she was still in the house, the room smelled like strawberries, verbena and lavender, so he rose and freshened up in the bathroom before heading through the French doors.

Blinking in the late morning light, he guessed it was around 11.00am or noon now. He turned and saw that Granger had obviously cast a _Muffliato_ charm so he wouldn’t be woken and the scene before him was silent as his eyes went straight to her. She was in the hot tub and she wasn’t alone. Ginny and Harry were in there as well and they were all laughing and playfully splashing at each other while drinking champagne. A crystal bowl of strawberries sat beside the tub with a chocolate dipping sauce in a ramekin dish. They were all fully clothed and he suspected this was another one of Granger’s spontaneous impulses, or maybe Ginny’s. They had noticed him by then and were silently calling and waving him over.

He did so and entered the charmed silence. “What are you doing? Isn’t it a bit early?” he said in lieu of a greeting, indicating their drinks. Granger’s eyes were twinkling as she twirled a champagne flute at him. She was still wearing her night gown from last night and it wound sensuously of its own accord in glimpses between the bubbles. Potter was in a T-shirt and jeans as was his fiancée, the fiery redhead sitting next to him.

“Hop in!” Ginny said. Draco just raised an eyebrow at her making it perfectly clear that he had no intention of doing so. The woman smiled back while wafting her hands across the frothing surface of the water, “You realise, Malfoy, the only choices you have are: 1. Get in of your own volition or...” She brought her head up and her eyes glinted holding a dark promise, “2. I make you get in.” Potter and Granger snickered at Ginny’s brash behaviour. Knowing she was in no way bluffing, Malfoy sighed loudly to show his disapproval and climbed in, the hot water soaking through his clothes instantly.

“Here you go, easement for your pain,” Granger said, handing him a glass and clinking it against her own.

The devil known as Ginny was grinning, shark-like. Her eyes now dancing with sadistic mirth. “What now, you conniving wench?” Draco edged out, not liking the look on her.

“No, just, you never let me finish. There were three options.”

“And what was your third offering, Gin?” Potter said to her reaching to brush a sodden lock of her hair behind an ear.

“Well, Harry, you see, the third option was that Malfoy here could have just left, Apparated out before I could even pick up my wand, that ward doesn’t extend to the outside.”

Draco blanched. She was right, but the thought hadn’t even occurred to him. He hadn’t wanted to leave which meant…

“So why did you choose option 1, huh?” Ginny’s voice glided smoothly, daring to test how far she could push this. “Did you get in because you just love a morning bath, or is it because your snaky brain somehow managed to overlook an escape strategy or is it because...” she let her eyes flick over to Hermione, the implication clear.

“Gin, stop the Draco-baiting. He probably got in because we had some whisky last night and his head is still fuzzy from that and sleep,” Granger supplied easily, glancing at him to confirm the story. He knew that she was aware the small amount of whisky had nothing to do with it, but he’d take anything he could right now. Again, her words hadn’t lied, it was just a presumption that he was still feeling the effects. _My, my Granger, you ARE a slippery witch_ , he thought.

Draco nodded his assent to her. “I fell asleep after drinking one dram too many, Granger was nice enough not to kick me out,” he drawled at them, assuming his self-assured mantle with extra force as a defence mechanism against Ginny and her mischief. The couple were taking up one of the large corners meant for lovers in the great eight-person tub. Granger occupied the other corner on the same side while Draco had seated himself in the middle of the opposite wall, equidistant from their seats.

He gestured with his now half-empty glass at the two of them. “I’m guessing this is another Granger punishment?”

Potter looked a little abashed at the mention of it. “Er, yeah, after I got home last night and told Gin I had upset Hermione and, well, she told me I had been a right cad so we came over to offer Hermione a peace offering of wine and breakfast.”

“A delicious breakfast it is, too,” Granger said, dipping some fruit into the sauce and floated one out to each of them. Draco couldn’t help but watch as Granger wrapped her sumptuous lips around the bright red berry. She suckled at it to collect the juices and licked the corner of her lip to subdue an errant blob of chocolate. He was glad for the disturbed water since his reaction was hidden from view.

“As you have correctly deduced, ‘Mione made me get into the tub fully clothed as punishment,” Potter said as Granger stuck her tongue out at him.

“It looked fun, so we got in, too,” Ginny continued. “Refill?” she asked him, holding the bottle out after topping up her own.

It was just then that they heard Granger’s doorbell. They all turned towards the sound.

“Not expecting anyone, ‘Mione?” Harry asked her.

“No,” she said, furrowing her brow in thought.

“Can’t be Le Roux, we’ve set it up so it looks like Felicia Lestrange is staying at the Malfoy Manor.” Potter muttered, thinking as well. Draco rarely spent time at his family’s ancestral home anymore and had turned an entire wing of it into an orphanage for kids finding themselves without family after the New Years’ bombing. They were well cared for and seemed happy whenever Draco made his visits. The east wing remained the same and it was where he stayed with long-term guests and distant relatives when they frequented. He much preferred his townhouse without the constant reminders everywhere now that he was alone.

Granger stood up and elegantly slid her legs up and over the tub heading to find out. Draco followed the way the usually floating dress now clung to her form making her look like Venus risen from the sea. She went into the house and Draco took down the _Muffliato_ so they could hear. They heard a shout of surprise and then laughter, all three of them relaxing again. It took a while for Granger to come back, but when she did it was with more champagne bottles in a large ice bucket. Trailing her were Theo and Terry.

“Look who came bearing fancy cheese!” Granger beamed as the two men came over, looking perplexed at the scene as Malfoy had also done. They each carried a flute of golden liquid and Draco guessed they had been badgered into taking them by Granger.

“Hi, Ginny, Harry,” Terry said jovially, waving. “Malfoy?”

Draco just raised his glass and drained it, just his luck to be caught in yet another strange situation. It seemed to be a Granger-curse. He took the bottle Granger offered him to fill back up, placing the empty container on the ground afterwards.

“You should join us,” Harry said, as Draco moved into the corner nearest Granger in silent agreement with the statement. If the other two got in, then they wouldn’t be able to mock him for it later.

“Sure!” Terry said, ever the enthusiast. He hopped over the side straight away to claps and whoops from the girls, bowing to them before claiming the last corner.

Theo wouldn’t get in all the way but perched on the side and rolled up his trousers to dangle his bare feet in the water halfway between Granger and Draco’s nooks.

“What happened to you, mate?” Theo asked Draco, giving him a disbelieving look while leaning with relaxed clasped hands, elbows resting on his thighs.

“I was threatened,” Draco replied, annoyed.

Theo looked over to where Ginny and Hermione shared a high-five. “I understand,” the wizard said to him, taking a large gulp from his champagne.

* * *

They spent the next few hours talking and laughing together and Hermione was so happy that things between them hadn’t changed after the previous night. She laughed at Ginny who was, as always, an avid conversationalist, her constant facial expressions and hand gestures making her stories and discussions very entertaining, her bright red hair flaring in the sun whenever it came out from behind clouds. People rotated in and out of the tub, Theo having finally got fully in the tub after an “accidental” nudge from Terry, but by that point the champagne had danced its way into their systems enough that he hadn’t minded too much.

Theo had, however, decided that Terry should choose between a truth or a dare as punishment a throw back to their days in school. Terry chose dare which was agreed on being a spoonful of Granger’s hot pepper paste from Korea. Terry was not a great lover of spicy things and there was a stipulation that he wasn’t allowed to drink any water for five minutes afterwards. He only just made it through while the others laughed raucously at him dancing, panting, sweating, and even crying as he paced the deck waiting for the torture to be over but knowing a forfeit would be much worse.

“It’s your turn, you wastrel,” Terry said after yet another five minutes of drinking water and milk to try to abate the burning. He had turned an accusing glare on Ginny who admitted sheepishly that she had told Theo to choose that punishment.

“Well, I’m definitely choosing truth after that,” Gin said, crossing her arms defiantly.

Terry turned to Harry first though. “I won’t ask her anything about the two of you since it’s unfair to punish you, but that leaves the times you weren’t together, is that OK?”

“Sure, go ahead, I know it all anyway,“ Harry said, smirking at his fiancée as she turned, having obviously thought she was relatively safe since Terry wouldn’t want to embarrass his boss. Potter just shrugged at her, secretly delighting in her discomfort.

“Harry, don’t think I won’t get you back for this,” Ginny fired at him, nostrils flaring. Harry just raised his eyebrows at her as if to say ‘Oh really?’. While her friend was distracted Hermione caught Terry’s attention and mimed a V and then a K at him. Terry’s eyes went wide as he got the meaning of it, he mouthed Really? to Hermione who nodded. The rumour about Ginny and a certain Bulgarian Seeker had been a blind item in the Daily Prophet but most people had dismissed it entirely. Hermione knew these people here wouldn’t spill their guts to any reporters though.

“So, Gin... tell us about Viktor Krum, all the salacious details please.” Terry said.

“You got with Krum?!” Theo burst out.

Ginny narrowed her eyes at Theo, “It’s not THAT unbelievable. And yes, I did.”

“I thought that was just a rumour,” Theo replied, shrinking from the woman’s gaze.

“It was last year,” Ginny began and everyone settled themselves to listen. “After one of our games against each other. We had to constantly body check to keep each other off the path of the Snitch, I was right on the tail of it about an hour and a half in and Krum flew right into my path, causing me to veer off course rather dangerously. Almost crashed into the ground at full speed but just managed to pull myself up. I did come off though and by then he’d chased the Snitch down and caught it, which meant they won the game.

Afterwards we had all gone together to get a drink as the teams normally do and I’d had quite a few and was still angry about the dirty move so I went up to him and punched him quite hard in the arm. He just looked up at me in that stoic Bulgarian way and I let him have it, yelling and sneering at him for what should have been a foul and he stood up to lean over me, and said, “Vas dirty, yes? Dirty like this?” and well, he just, uh, he- he kissed me, hard. That man can really force his will down on someone I tell you.” Ginny uncharacteristically blushed, stammering her way through the sentence.

“Is that all, just a kiss?” Terry said, sounding let down.

Ginny quirked her mouth, “No, that’s not all.”

They waited but she didn’t say anything. Theo piped up to object, “Terry specified all the salacious details, if you don’t say anymore then I think that counts as a forfeit, right?” he spread his hands out and looked to the others for confirmation. They all nodded and Ginny looked stricken.

“I don’t want to say! Harry’s right here! That’s not fair,” she exclaimed, slapping the water.

“They’re right, Gin, and I don’t care,” Harry said to her. 

Ginny pleaded with him. “Can you please put a _Muffliato_ on yourself or something then? I promise I will only do dares after this.”

Harry chuckled at her distress but did as she asked.

Ginny shouted in Harry’s ear to double check without reaction and then took up her story again casting a dark look that promised revenge at the rest of them. “It’s not all perfectly clear since I’d had a bit to drink, but I do remember the snog sesh made its way into the bathrooms, but after breaking one of the sinks I suggested we move elsewhere. Viktor said, “I have house in village, ve go?” but didn’t wait for my assent before he had Apparated us. It was all very hard and fast then, against his front door, in the living room, kitchen, hallway, I remember getting a pretty bad rug burn in the study, too. Viktor is built for speed and power, both of which he uses for maximum effectiveness. The next day I had to leave with the team but I wasn’t able to get a Restorative potion for a few days so I couldn’t ride my broomstick properly if you know what I mean. Any questions?” Ginny ended her tale and Hermione couldn’t help but laugh at how open her friend was now that Harry wasn’t listening.

“You broke a sink?” Terry asked, eyes wide.

“Mm, I mentioned speed and power, right?” she replied smoothly.

“Does he have any weird kinks?” Theo inquired, “Don’t all famous sports people have odd bedroom habits?”

Ginny searched her memory and her face lit up in recognition at something before instantly scrunching up, “I just remembered, he has a real thing for bellybuttons. Ugh, thanks Theo, that one had been safely locked away before you poked at it.”

Theo’s face was equally distressed. “I regret my choice as well.”

“Don’t worry, Ginerva,” Malfoy said silkily. Hermione looked at the blond wizard and couldn’t help but be attracted to the way his hand ran through his hair, making glistening drops of water tease at the ends before escaping back into the tub. He continued with his sentence, “He’s actually helped you out. If he tries to intimidate you on the pitch again, you can just imagine him sticking his knob into a bellybutton and that will ease any fear you have.” 

This last part was drowned out by the gagging noises from Terry and Theo while Ginny squealed and flushed furiously at the thought. Hermione just laughed. What a shocking image! Viktor, her former beau, was a very imposing figure but this took him off the pedestal his skill has always placed him on. Malfoy caught her eye since she was the only one not disgusted and winked, a sly smile gracing his handsome face as he took another swig from his champagne.

Harry was looking confused at the reaction and Hermione waved off his _Muffliato_. “What happened?” he asked her.

“You don’t want to know this one,” she told her friend. He looked wary but accepted it.

“Merlin’s bulging sac, Malfoy!” spat Ginny, glaring at him. “Not to kink-shame but that made everything so much worse.”

“You’re welcome,” came his sardonic reply.

Ginny rounded on Hermione. “Wench, I know you told Terry to ask me that somehow, so I put this round to you.”

“Truth,” Hermione said to her friend who paused to think before looking carefully around at the people assembled.

A smirk grew on her countenance and she fixed Hermione with a devilish grin. “Who’s the best kisser here?”

Hermione felt all eyes flick to her and a nervous energy stilled around them.

Hermione calmly took a sip and stared her friend down. “I haven’t kissed everyone here so I refuse to make an unfair judgement,” she replied, knowing her friend would take this into consideration.

Ginny did, tilting her head to think about it, “Will you take a dare instead then?” she asked back and the no-good glint came back into her eyes. “Well, that’s good, it means you will agree to performing a kiss, open mouth _with_ tongue to further the scope of your opinion.”

“Agreed.” Hermione said and all eyes moved to Theo.

“What?” Theo said, before shaking his hands and looking panicked, “I can’t, Jazz will kill me if she finds out.”

“I knew it!” Ginny exclaimed, standing up in the tub, an outstretched finger pointing at Malfoy.

Hermione sighed. She hadn’t told them about last night yet since she had wanted to elaborate once Malfoy had left.

Malfoy just raised an eyebrow at Ginny’s accusing gaze.

“You looked at Theo, too Malfoy! That means you and Hermione have kissed!” Ginny was radiating pride at the success of her carefully laid trap.

Malfoy didn’t miss a beat, “Of course, it was part of the mission,” he said it evenly and with his almost-bored expression which deflated Ginny immediately.

Hermione sent a smirk at Malfoy, who looked back at her with his grey eyes, his guard still up but she detected a hint of humour there.

“Don’t worry so much, Theo,” Hermione said, sidling nearer him as he sat in the middle of Ginny and Harry and Terry’s corners.

“No, really, Granger, I can’t,” Theo backed away towards Terry who was angling to make sure he didn’t miss anything.

Hermione moved even closer, leaning slightly over Ginny to look at the retreating wizard. “I actually meant don’t worry since there is another person here that I haven’t kissed,” and with that, she rounded on Ginny who blanched at her friend.

“I’m taken, too!” Ginny protested, nudging Harry who had brightened at the turn of events.

“I don’t mind!” he said, quickly and Ginny whipped around to face him, outraged. “You brought this on yourself, Gin, it’s good for your plans to backfire sometimes.”

“Hear, hear!” Terry cried, edging around for a better view.

Hermione leaned in only inches away from Ginny’s face, “Relax, Ginny dearest, I’ll be gentle.” At that she cupped Ginny’s face in her hands and kissed her mouth. She swallowed the breath of complaint and caressed her friend gently, closing her eyes. Ginny was shocked at first, but quickly relaxed and began to kiss back, raising her arms to put them around Hermione. Hermione eased her tongue in to tease Ginny’s and her friend responded. _Damn, Harry you’re a lucky bastard_ , thought Hermione. Ginny was skilled and daring, her passion for everything in life reverberating through their kiss. Hermione was lost in the sensation, not attracted to her best friend, but the kiss was a great one. After a while, Hermione eased back, releasing Ginny who still had her eyes closed. She pecked her friend on the mouth chastely and Gin opened her eyes again.

“You OK?” Hermione said, shifting a strand of Ginny’s hair out of her eyes.

“Yeah, you?” Ginny replied, the women making each other comfortable again. Their eyes held each other and they shared a smile before Hermione brought her hands slowly from Ginny’s face, turning to the assembled crowd who were all looking decidedly entertained that Ginny had been shocked into silence.

“And that,” she addressed them, “is how you kiss a girl.”

She stayed sitting next to Ginny, but not touching. She knew from her friend’s eyes that the experience had been mutually pleasurable, but there was no lingering awkwardness. Harry pulled Ginny into him, teasingly and she squealed.

Malfoy quirked an eyebrow at her and sent her a look that showed he was impressed, not just with the kiss but the manipulation of the situation. She rolled her eyes, he wasn’t the only one who could be sneaky.

Hermione turned to her friend over Ginny. “What about you, Harry? Doing OK now that I’ve stuck my tongue into your fiancée?” Ginny laughed harder at the look that crossed Harry’s face then which caused everyone else to laugh as well. A rainbow of expression had passed over Harry like he didn’t know which one to settle on, but he stopped on determination.

“I will take the competition as a challenge for later,” he said, sending Hermione a mockingly angry side-eye.

“Good luck with that,” Hermione said simply, brushing her hair behind her shoulder in the world-recognised mannerism of unshakeable confidence. Next, she rounded on Theo whose laughing face fell.

“Oh no, what?” he asked in trepidation.

“I am offended by your obvious distaste at the thought of sharing a kiss with me,” she said pouting. “The challenge now goes to you. So, what’ll it be? Truth or dare?”

Theo picked dare and Hermione asked him to serenade them with her piano. Surprisingly, he was a skilled pianist and had a strong singing voice, choosing a well-known song that had the rest of them joining in, aside from Malfoy. He then challenged Harry who also chose dare and had to do a Stuntman Shot in which he snorted salt, did a shot of tequila and squeezed the lime juice in his eye before he got punched by Malfoy, who he then challenged for enjoying the punch too much. They moved into Hermione’s living room to continue the game and to eat, moving from champagne to whatever their drink of choice was.

“I’ll choose dare since I refuse to share personal details with you idiots,” Malfoy had drawled at them.

Harry smirked and a look entered his eye that Hermione had learned to dread over the years since it meant Harry was going to be reckless.

“OK, Malfoy, fine.” Harry said to his former nemesis slowly. “I _dare_ you to tell us about Celestina Warbeck and yourself.”

Malfoy groaned.

“CELESTINA WARBECK!” Terry exploded. He rounded on Malfoy, “ _Celestina Warbeck_!” he repeated, shocked.

Malfoy was rubbing his forehead, “I’m going to kill you, Potter. Await your death, you bastard.” He muttered while Terry spluttered next to him. Theo was staring at Draco like he was a Blast-Ended Skrewt.

“Well, this is a fun development,” Ginny whispered into Hermione’s ear and smiled, sharing the delight her friend was expressing. “Harry, you’re _brilliant_ ,” his fiancée added, kissing his cheek in admiration.

“She’s like a hundred years old!” Terry was saying while Malfoy’s brow furrowed, trying to think a way out of it.

“She’s only 90.” Malfoy said.

“That makes her about 60 years older than us,” Theo mused, still puzzling over the thought.

Hermione laughed at the spectacle. It was loud and free and the three men opposite her turned to look. “Sorry,” she apologised. “It’s just so weird seeing Malfoy at a loss for words. This whole situation is like a sitcom.”

“What’s a sitcom?” Theo asked, confused.

“She’s just trying to distract us,” Terry stated, waving Hermione’s comment away as if dispelling it into the ether.

Hermione grinned to affirm it earning herself a look from Malfoy that for once she couldn’t fathom.

“I retract it,” Harry offered. “I wanted to cause chaos and thus chaos has been achieved.”

Malfoy looked at Harry with a steely gaze. “Don’t,” he responded. “I’ll talk,” he took a large breath while everyone stilled. This was a huge scandal. Celestina Warbeck had been married to her famously jealous third husband for a long while now and there hadn’t been a sniff of her wandering attentions ever. The singer was still beautiful, but she was also old enough to be their great-grandmothers’ peer, but at 90 years old, Celestina had only passed her life’s mid-way point by two decades. 

“She knew my parents quite well having been at school with my mother’s mother. They had a couple of overlapping years in the same house. Anyway, after my parents died, she came over to the Manor. One thing led to another and...” he trailed off, swigging deeply from his whisky. “How’d you know anyway, Potter?”

Harry chuckled darkly having thoroughly gotten one over Malfoy for the first time in a long while. “I met Ms. Warbeck at some terrible charity event the Minister made me go to just after the attacks for some good publicity. She told me she knew we had been at school together and asked after you. I asked her why she was interested and she backpedalled faster than a mantis shrimp. She would _not_ make a good spy.”

“Your intuition for suggestion is entirely too good, Potter,” Malfoy muttered.

“You can’t leave it there!” Terry declared. “How long did you two... see each other?”

“Just a couple of times. My parents had just died, I wasn’t in my right mind,” Draco said, offering the excuse weakly.

“I totally get it,” Ginny voiced, making everyone turn to her. She shrugged in response, “I’ve always had a crush on the Bloody Baron and he’s way older.”

“But he’s a ghost, and died when he was in his thirties at the latest,” Theo answered. “And you didn’t actually do anything with him.”

“Only ‘cause he’s a ghost,” she retorted.

“I’m not sure I like the present tense you used there, Gin,” Harry uttered.

“Oh, you’re fine,” Ginny said dismissively.

“Deviation!” Terry proclaimed.

“That’s all you’re getting Boot, so don’t push it,” Malfoy growled before sending Harry a look. “You’re turn again, Potter. I distinctly remember a Ministry party where you appeared to suffer terribly when you were forced by your department to lead the Christmas dance. That is your challenge, no truth option available since _apparently_ those rules don’t apply anymore.”

Harry, however, rose to his feet and said, “Challenge accepted. Hermione and I took lessons after that, this is going to be easy.”

He held out his hand to Hermione, “Number 1, 2 3 or 4, ‘Mione?” he asked.

Ginny looked at Draco. “You have no idea what you’ve done,” she sighed playfully with a grin. “See, first comes dancing, then comes-”

“KAREOKE!” Harry and Hermione yelled simultaneously while Ginny gestured with her hand at them, expecting it.

Hermione waved her hand for their music, choosing No. 2 and they began dancing.

“Ow, Hermione!” Harry yelled as everyone laughed when she stepped on his foot again. “How are you worse at this than me?”

Hermione clutched her cheek which hurt from laughing. “I don’t know, I haven’t done this in a while,” she squealed as Harry dipped her to the end of the song while everyone whooped at them and they gave stupid bows.

Hermione beamed at her friend who jauntily summoned a karaoke machine and looked around her place and waved in some neon lights. Harry was making her lounge into a karaoke room similar to the ones in Japan and Korea. They were all quite drunk now, tipsy and up for anything. It was the perfect time to evolve this game into some sing-your-heart-out fun. 

Hermione got up and refilled everyone’s drinks, setting down the beautiful French cheeses Terry and Theo had brought with crackers and quince jelly. She suggested they invite their girlfriends. Cadney arrived as soon as she got the owl and Jacinta about half an hour afterwards. The night was just beginning with sunset having almost passed, the twinkle of stars starting to shine through. The curtains near the open French doors fluttered in the warm breeze that came in. Letting Harry continue to set up the next songs with Ginny’s help while Theo and Terry relentlessly discussed Draco’s shocking revelation with their girlfriends, Hermione walked out onto the balcony to look up and watch the final purple fade before the midnight blue set in. Leaning her elbows on the wooden railing, she sighed in happiness.

The tingle at her back let her know he was there even before he joined her.

“You like looking up don’t you.” It was said in the form of statement, not a question and she nodded.

“Night is the best. There’s power in it, hidden power in hidden corners that shadows guard and protect.”

“You look up during the day, too. You watch the way light filters through tree leaves and the way it dapples the things beneath. You look up at ceilings and up at buildings. It’s not something many people do.” Draco had leant on the railing as well, not looking at her, but out at the city. The whisky sour in his hand clinking with ice. He crossed his arms, the cool glass touching her upper arm. She closed her eyes at the opposing sensation of the warm breeze tickling her face and the condensation of the tumbler goose-pimpling her flesh.

“You are very observant, Malfoy,” she answered quietly, dropping her lower arm out which shifted her upper limb in a way that there was even more contact with his beverage.

“I pay more attention to some things than others,” came his reply. Her breath caught as his pinky finger reached out and grazed the fine hairs of her arm. Electricity shot down her spine. He wasn’t even touching her skin and her reaction had colour flooding her cheeks. It was the single most erotic thing she had experienced since Jun-ki had left simply because it had been completely unexpected. He had engineered the entire manoeuvre for this one overture, the glass on her arm had not been a happy accident but acted instead as shield from prying eyes. In a room of Aurors and a nosy best friend even this little moment would have been spied on.

Hermione didn’t trust herself to speak. She would have been entirely too truthful at that moment and she knew if she said anything, the scales would be tipped tonight, and he would be in her bed for the rest of the weekend. The thought caused her to bite her bottom lip as his caresses stayed light, tantalizing her. It was a silent question, did she want more? She was turned on by the man’s subtlety, he knew she was aware of every subtext hidden in the gesture. She gave a slow exhale.

“Your attention will be available for future opportunities then I assume?” she replied, weighing her words carefully. _Not right now, but soon_ her words promised. “I would highly endorse access to such an occasion.”

“Your approval will no doubt encourage my endeavours. When I am fully cognizant of the situation should I inform you?” he queried. Ooh, he was good, his innuendo laced words gliding through the conversation like melting butter.

“What if my observations conclude adjacently to your own?” she felt out, teasing now.

“They won’t.” There, it was final, a forgone inevitability. He would sleep with her. Sometime in the near future. The thought made her heart race in anticipation. She turned to look inside once more, drawing her arm away so it was no longer in reach of Malfoy’ glass or his rebellious near-caresses.

“Is it ready?” she asked Harry who had cleverly scuffed his foot audibly on the wooden floor to announce his approach. His eyes twinkled at her knowing this encounter was more than it seemed. Draco only half-turned, face carefully stoic again, sipping his whisky while still looking out at the skyline.

“I am in need of my duet partner,” Harry said, holding out his hand gallantly. “Before we do this though, I would like a couple of potent shots to perhaps ease the performance even more.”

“I believe I can help with that.” Hermione said, taking his hand with a bob, crooking it in his elbow and heading with him to the kitchen.

After magicking out two lots of shots while joking with each other, Harry and Hermione entered the changed lounge with a loaded tray, two for each of them. Hermione had filled up one side with one of her favourite liquors and the other with Theo’s favourite chaser shot.

“Quick Fucks!” Theo said, eyes lighting up at the sight of them.

“Yeah, you might need them after the first lot,” Hermione warned.

They passed the shots around coaxing Malfoy and Terry back in from outside where they had been having a spirited debate about whether the new official Gobstones rule was worth including in play or not. Jacinta draped an arm around Theo taking one of the shots and Cadney eyed it warily but still held it ready.

Gathering in a circle, shots raised, Hermione spoke, “A toast, to a random day, to good friends and to Chartreuse, the only liquor so good...”

“They named a colour after it,” Harry finished, shooting her a grin. “Down it goes!” Harry finished and they knocked it back.

There was a chorus of groans and a myriad of facial expressions to indicate their distaste. Hermione laughed, she liked the drink, but knew it wasn’t everyone’s cup of tea. She quickly passed the Quick Fucks around and they downed those as well to a much better reception. The alcohol hit swiftly and her and Harry started up the karaoke. The room lights were off and replaced with strobing blues, greens, and pinks. So as not to lose his courage, Harry focused on Hermione who would sing the chorus. The rap was a nice song about trying to regain balance in your mind and the words flowed off Harry’s tongue easily. It was a smooth rap and didn’t need any swagger to pull it off which was why Hermione had chosen it on their first dancing and kareoke night. She kept her eyes on him, smiling encouragement but he’d done it so many times, it came effortlessly.

Draco watched the performance from his couch, Terry occupied the other end of it and Theo had sat on the other one. Ginny was standing and dancing to the music with Jacinta and Cadney, enamoured with Harry. Draco didn’t know the song but figured it was a Muggle one, since Potter wasn’t so much speaking as he was talking very fast. Draco had a pretty good grasp of some Muggleisms, but the song had a lot of slang in it so he didn’t quite catch what it was about.

Granger’s part started up and he was surprised, her voice was breathy and haunting, different from what he had expected strangely, it was almost familiar. Her and Harry had started slow dancing to it, mostly only looking at each other, although Harry occasionally snuck winks over to Ginny who wolf-whistled her support.

Draco watched them move together slowly, Hermione’s free arm around Harry’s neck. They were using Muggle microphones because apparently it wasn’t the same without them. He remembered Granger telling him that when she had her first time with Potter it had started off with dancing as well. He wondered if they were thinking about that night while partially recreating it. He looked over at Ginny, was she thinking about it? 

The song ended to whoops and hollers from the other party-goers. Harry and Hermione laughed and Ginny went to pull Theo and Terry up to perform a Weird Sisters song, a duet battle of the two of them versus her and Harry who had wrapped his arms around her from behind and pecked the side of her neck, getting frisky now that all the alcohol of the day, stepped up by the shots.

Hermione was setting up the pool table at the other end of the room, she picked up a cue from the rack in the corner and motioned to Draco, her eyebrow raised in silent question. He walked over and took it from her. The others were all doing that scream-singing that people who are drunk and love a song do and seemed to be having loads of fun jumping up and down arms linked around each other’s shoulders. It had been a pretty good day, Hermione broke into a happy smile and looked up at Malfoy.

* * *

He could feel Hermione’s eyes boring into him like they were mining for jewels. He turned away from the karaoke and met her eyes. He took a step nearer her and pretended he just needed to chalk up the end of the stick before offering it to her.

She lightly brushed his fingers as she picked it up. The small movement of intentional touching made Draco’s blood rush through him. The witch could affect him even with the slightest thing now, but he could with her, too. The moment out on the balcony had been exhilarating for the both of them he knew. Not quite allowing himself to touch her had taken great restraint on his part but the thrill of the action was worth every second.

“I’ll break,” they said together.

Dancing with mischief, Hermione twitched the corner of her mouth up, “Whatever you want, Malfoy, I will give it to you,” the repeated response from the night before held an even deeper meaning now that a promise of a future rendezvous had been intimated. They held each other’s gaze briefly before he moved to send the balls flying across the table.

The night continued with much singing, dancing and games of pool. At about two thirty in the morning Terry and Theo went home with Jacinta and Cadney, all still quite drunk, holding each other up rather unsuccessfully.

Ginny and Harry followed about half an hour afterwards, Ginny wrapping her arms around Hermione and kissing her on the lips at the door declaring them ‘kissing friends’ now. Hermione laughed at her drunken bestie and wished them good bye, hugging Harry one last time before they left.

Draco wasn’t really sure why he was still there but he knew he didn’t want to leave either. He busied himself by undoing the party lights and karaoke apparatus that Potter had magicked up. He heard the hush of Hermione’s dress drift across the floor as she took a step towards him.

“You didn’t sing tonight,” she remarked.

He turned to face her, “No, I don’t sing.”

“Ah,” she said, glancing around the room, waving away the leftover from their dinner in the kitchen and the cheese board and the remnants of pizza they’d ordered on the coffee table. Clearing the glasses away as well apart from his whisky and her own she walked around a little aimlessly, nursing it. She watched her toe as it traced patterns in the wood.

“Can I stay?”

Granger looked up at him, calculating. He knew she was wondering if he was going to push their unspoken agreement from earlier. He knew that look in her eyes, she was going to test him.

“Even with all the hot tub action earlier, now I’d like to take a bath to clean, you know, really scrub myself. Do you want to stay and talk to me while I do that?”

Draco kept eye contact and then moved to the couch and grabbed a cushion off it, then he refilled his whisky and went to her bookshelf and picked a book that had interested him before on mini biographies of great witches and wizards, lost stories on them that had been unearthed and collected into a volume all together. Glancing at her as he walked past, he placed the cushion on the floor outside the bathroom in a position where the door would be open so they could talk but he wouldn’t be able to see inside. Settling himself and opening the book while taking a sip of whisky, looking relaxed and very appealing he knew, he met her eyes again.

“Go on, I’ll just read this if you don’t mind?” he smirked. He had passed and she knew it. He also wanted her to know that he had known this was a test. 

She gave him a golf clap in appreciation. “Such excellent manipulation of the situation, Malfoy, I confess to being impressed.” She went upstairs to get clothes to change into since she was still in her yellow night gown, and he in his T-shirt and sweats. He had cast _Scourgify_ on them earlier once they had left the hot tub so he knew the clothes were fine to wear, if more casual than his normal attire.

Returning, she ran the bath and they talked of the people that were in the book. The biographies weren’t long so Hermione let him read a passage and then they discussed the witch or wizard in question. She used the time to clean herself and he concentrated hard on the words as a distraction to the images of trickling water flowing over unidentified body parts that attempted to swamp him. He did take in large breaths of her verbena and lavender body wash though, the effect was pleasing, refreshing and relaxing at the same time.

Once she had emerged, clearing the bath with her wand, he looked up at her from his position on the floor. She was wearing another long night dress that looked more like a ball gown. This one was a Grecian style in a dark purple, twinning her with her favourite midnight sky.

She crouched down to him, the only light spilling out of the bathroom. They didn’t speak, but Draco felt his heart hammering in his chest and that creeping tension had come between them again.

“What am I doing here?” he asked her.

“I’m not sure,” she said, reaching out to adjust a lock of his hair. Brushing it off his forehead and looking at what she was doing instead of directly at him she continued in a soft voice, “Do you want to leave?”

“No,” he answered. He became introspective, usually he preferred his own company, and he hadn’t slept with anyone this weekend which was out of the ordinary. The thought of going home and sleeping in his comfortable bed was not as appealing as staying here with her, sleeping on the couch while they talked and debated, drinking whisky and enjoying themselves. That was it, that’s what was different. He was enjoying himself.

Granger was more alive than most people could ever hope to be, a creature of whims and armed with the courage to follow through on them. He found he didn’t mind being swept up in them, it was a change from the pattern his life had followed for the months leading up to her re-entry into his life. The woman before him was so different from the version he’d known at school. He had despised that swotty, snobby know-it-all. She had deemed him beneath her and that had grated on him constantly then. Now she didn’t feel the need to constantly expound and show-off all her knowledge. She kept it inside her and the quiet intensity fuelled the layers of meaning her eyes held, calling to be unravelled by those they fell upon. He liked the challenge, the subtleties of their interactions, the opposite sides of her that hid and revealed in equal measures.

They had held eye contact through this entire thought process. Once he had come out of the rabbit hole he’d fallen through, she whispered so quietly he wasn’t even sure he heard it, “I understand.” She stood up and held out a hand to him.

He took it and she helped him to his feet. Without speaking again she led him up the stairs to her bedroom. She opened the bathroom door and turned on the light, before turning on a soft pink light on her vanity and sat down at it, tapping a potion from some bottles there delicately into her skin. Draco looked into the bathroom and saw a towel and some toiletries waiting on one side of the sink, he went in and locked the door, taking a quick shower and preparing himself for sleep.

Meeting her eyes through the vanity mirror once he had emerged smelling of white tea and citrus, a hint of peppermint on his breath, he watched as she crooked a finger and the edge of the bed untucked itself and left an opening. She waited until his weight had sunk into the heavenly comfort of the mattress before turning the pink light off. She opened only the duvet on the other side and slipped in, there was a sheet separating them, but as she rolled towards him on her black satin pillow, the proximity was still very close.

“Watch this,” she said and waved her hand towards the ceiling with its skylight. Tiny pinpricks of silver light came through as if the starlight had burrowed its way through her roof to bathe her in its milky glow.

She watched him as he looked at the roof, the simple beauty in it was stunning, of course she slept like this most nights, her beloved night sky embracing her in its gentle illumination. She waved her hand again and a constellation glowed emerald green and twinkled a little more so it was just noticeable.

“It’s the Dragon,” he said.

“Your namesake,” she replied.

“You found it,” Draco intoned, trying to keep the hush of his voice from disturbing the room.

There was a pause. He continued to look up into the glittering points. “I find myself to be constantly looking for it,” her answer came, soft as dew. The internal pressure that strained his chest from the inside out welled up in him again and he turned inwards towards her. Her eyes looked into his and he free-fell in their depths.

Needing a touchstone, he asked again, “What am I doing here?”

“Sharing space,” she said, “With me.” She vaguely gestured up at the ceiling again, her words layered. She wouldn’t or couldn’t speak of feelings, but they were understood anyway.

“The fabric of the universe stretches millions of light years between the stars that light the galaxies, space may be shared, but neighbours are so far from each other,” he let out a breath.

She shook her head. “You forget that each star brings many objects to circle in its orbit. There are planets and clusters of rock and ice. Meteorites that circle their systems, bumping and crashing into each other. A star may seem far off and alone, but it is surrounded by many things, even if they are invisible to our eyes now and the closer you look, the more you can see them. Within your own constellation there is a nebula hiding in it. Nebulas are both beginnings and endings. Gaseous materials that are ejected and linger before forming together over millennia, throwing tantrums the entire time. Something as beautiful as a star is never easy or quick and even then it can be unstable.” Her voice was quiet, almost a whisper and he was utterly entranced. “Stars burn hot and bring many things to them, but they also have flares and storms, they explode into millions of pieces or fade until they don’t even shine anymore. They can even collapse in on themselves and suck everything around them into the abyss.”

He nodded. “Perhaps that is why the Earth has her companion in the Moon. The Moon waxes and wanes, only showing her real face a few days a month but when she does she is the brightest thing in the sky. Even the times she is absent from view, she is still there, invisible, but present.”

Hermione smiled at him. “I like the Moon, she is a navigator and a measure of safety.”

They lay silent sharing breaths with their proximity.

Hermione bit her lip. “I really want to kiss you but-“

Draco closed the gap between them before she could even say those words of denial. He placed his hand over the shell of her ear and stroked her hair, her lips soft and kissing him back. It was reverent, restrained. His bottom lip was slotted between the two of hers, the after effects of her lip balm tingled across his lips, it tasted of honey and he wanted to build it to more, but knew he’d already pushed too much as it was.

Pulling back, he ran his hand from her hair along her arm that lay outside the coverlet. He took her palm gently and cupped it in his own, placing it in between them, careful to put them in the middle, symbolically treating her as an equal.

Her eyes opened and her mouth remained slightly ajar, the effect was almost too much to bear but he made himself swallow his desire.

“Good night, Granger,” he said, closing his eyes. She said nothing and he evened out his breathing, it was a long while before she said anything when she thought he was well and truly asleep.

“Malfoy, you cause me great trouble,” she whispered before sighing. “This world doesn’t have two Moons, and neither of us are the steadfast Earth.” He heard her settle into the bed, preparing for her own slumber.

“Earth may not, but Mars does,” he replied, looking at her as she kept her eyes shut. “Just because it isn’t as familiar to us doesn’t mean it’s not there.”

“Naughty man,” she said, her eyes still closed, “by replying you have moved my confession beyond rhetoric. Now go to sleep before I have to linguistically bitch-slap you.”

Draco made a huff of amusement before falling into a deep and dreamless rest, his hand remaining in hers the entire night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading. I will be trying to update this story twice a week to make sure I stay ahead of the chapters pre-written. 
> 
> I hope you have a safe and kind day!


	14. Chapter 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> NEW TAG ALERT: Voyeurism

Hermione woke up that morning to the doorbell ringing, she silenced the noise with a wave and slid out of bed, leaving Draco still sleeping there. She padded downstairs and looked through the peephole. She froze, a lover of hers was outside. Jason, from Australia. He worked for the Ministry of Magic in Adelaide, doing something that couldn’t be divulged. He was impulsive and clearly good at his job since she hadn’t told him where she lived, but he’d found her. He always found her. It was one of the reasons she liked him and had become a type of game between them.

Unfortunately, he was also a jealous man. He understood fundamentally that she was not tied to him and he himself was an avid follower of the practice of casual romantic entanglements, but he had once seen her kiss someone when she’d been on a date and it had taken an awfully quick set of spelling on her part to stop him going after the guy. He would probably repeat his actions then if he saw Draco now. She needed to get rid of him, and fast.

Thinking quickly how to best work the situation, she hooked one shoulder of her dress off and put on the airs of a 1950s siren, just as he liked. Exhaling in preparation she opened the door.

“Hello, darling,” she breathed, gazing at him through half-lidded eyes. She watched him take her in, his desire apparent already.

“Fuck, babe,” he said, taking her by the waist. Jason never much cared for propriety, “I want my tongue in you.”

Hermione giggled and pawed his massive bicep. Jason’s sandy blonde hair was tousled and as always he was ruggedly handsome, stubble gracing his strong jaw line, his brown eyes taking in Hermione’s form.

“You’re a real fuckin’ beaut today babe,” Jason told her.

“Why thank you ever so,” she said, her breath tickling along his neck and she was drawn into his arms. She felt his erection pressing against her. He nuzzled his face into her neck and she tilted her head as if in pleasure, moaning at his attentions upon her. What she was really doing was looking up at her bedroom’s landing area, and as she’d suspected, Draco was there leaning on the railing, watching her with a hint of amusement. She swatted her arm at him with a look that announced potential danger.

“Darling?” she whispered, her breath hitching in her throat.

“Yeah?” Jason said, not stopping his explorations that were now edging across her shoulder. Hands roving over her body.

“I don’t wish to be naughty, but I do have a rather singular idea.”

“What is it?” Jason said with impatience now. He had been trying to move her to get into the house, pressing his weight into her.

“I was hoping take our play to a new location,” Hermione said as she played with the man’s hair. She knew Draco was smart enough to not interfere and he had disappeared from sight for now.

“This already is a new location for me, darl,” Jason replied, leaning back to look at her.

“Would you believe me terribly wanton if I desired your company where we may be discovered at a moment’s notice?” she affected a flush as if she thought this idea awfully scandalous, playing the part that most turned him on to the hilt.

His eyes darkened with a new surge of lust. “Oh, fuck, yeah,” he agreed, kissing her hard on the mouth, his tongue forcing its way in with passion. “Lead the way, babe and I’ll have your cunt as hard as it can be taken.”

Hermione inhaled, “Naughty,” she warned him, curling her fingers around the hairs at the back of his head. She went out into the hallway with him, closing the door. She had no idea what Draco would think about this, she hoped they would be able to have a talk about it before work the next day. She led Jason into the winding stairwell and secreted them into an area that was blind from view at the bottom but they could still be caught by her downstairs neighbour if they cared to check on their amorous and lusty groans.

Jason was true to his word and got straight on his knees, hands reaching under her dress. He began kissing up her inner thighs. She could feel his breath on her clit ready to taste her. She’d thought too long and gasped when Jason licked her folds roughly.

She saw a shimmer in the air at the top of the stairwell. Malfoy was watching them. She quickly pulled the ability to see auras to see if she’d ruined everything with him, a blip of panic clutching her but instead his aura showed he was turned on and intrigued. He was studying what she liked for their own encounter. She sent a wink up to him to let him know what came next was for him.

Jason was buried beneath her dress, lapping her furiously and she yielded to the sensations. Closing her eyes and directing Jason more than she would normally for Malfoy’s benefit. When Jason sensed she was close he stood up and flipped her around to press her front against the cool stone of the wall. They were hidden beneath the layers of her dress Jason entered her at a furious pace, he’d never been one to take his time. He was using one hand to brace himself against the wall and another to cover her mouth.

“Careful babe, can’t go waking your neighbours,” he growled into her ear.

But Hermione was kept glancing at Draco’s aura. He was thoroughly enjoying himself, and there were streaks of orange dancing on his as well. He was confident he was better, the thought really turned her on and she was close. 

“Oh fuck, yeah babe, I’m close too,” Jason said, pounding into her. This was absolutely not how Hermione had thought the morning would go and she felt a delicious thrill that she was doing something quite naughty. It tipped her over the edge and she moaned against Jason’s hand while keeping her eyes on where Malfoy was. He liked that.

Jason stilled, sandwiching her between himself and the wall as he came. “Give me a bit and we can do that again, babe,” he told her, righting himself and turning her around again.

Thinking quickly, she breathlessly moaned, “Honey, I wish you would let me know when you next plan to visit, I do get quite lonesome without you. Can’t we make it more scheduled? I know you have every second weekend off...” she trailed off rubbing two fingers against the cotton of his button-down shirt. Jason really hated making plans. He liked the power of being able to dictate when he saw her.

He stepped back, clearly put-off, “Yeah, sure, babe, ah-” he affected a cursory glance at his watch. “Actually, I gotta do a runner, duty calls.” With a quick cheek kiss and a disappointed quirk to his mouth he Apparated away. 

“Well, that was easy,” she said, stretching her back where it had collided with a bump in the wall. She waved her hand to perform a cleaning charm.

“What was easy?” a voice drawled from the stairwell above her. She quirked an eyebrow at him. “You once accused me of being a voyeur,” he said, coming down the stairs towards her, stopping at the landing above her own.

“My assumption was correct it seems,” she replied, watching him. He didn’t seem jealous, which was good, but his deeper thoughts were hiding behind his stoic mantle again. “Should we have some coffee?” she asked, feeling out the man. Her heart was now hammering in her chest. She suddenly remembered how good at Occlumancy he was, that maybe he was hiding his true feelings.

He shrugged, still unperturbed, “Sure,” he said. She climbed the steps to meet him and they continued further up, going into her flat. She went into the kitchen and took care to make sure that they did not even graze fingers as she handed him the cup of brown liquid. She had a personal rule about not touching one suitor with another’s taste and smell still on her.

Draco had flicked to her hands, noticing. “You don’t have to do that for me,” he said. His face was still carefully devoid of emotion but wasn’t hostile.

“I do it for me moreso than for you, I won’t feel comfortable around you again until I’ve had a shower,” she replied, looking down at the counter rather than at him.

Draco raised her chin with his fingers to force her gaze, but she pulled away by stepping out of reach. She did meet his eyes though and he casually leaned on the opposite side of the bench in a show of ease.

“Have a shower, then,” he said, lifting a shoulder. “I’ll still be here afterwards.”

Keeping her eyes on him, Hermione downed the swallow of her short black. She nodded and headed upstairs. She laid out clothing and stepped into the shower. She kept it quick but scrubbed all over. She quickly washed her hair as well and turned the waterfall head off. She did a quick drying charm and made sure it curled softly. She stepped into an A-line halter dress, it was light blue with purple and yellow flowers patterned on it. It was sexy, but open, friendly and approachable. She did a quick spell that applied some light makeup and went back down to where Draco was sitting reading the biography book again on the couch.

She was nervous. Her courage making her to sit on the other seat and look at him. “Perhaps we should be candid,” she suggested as he closed the book again.

He nodded, meeting her eyes. “That would be best, I think,” he agreed.

“What are you feeling?” she said, diving in with the big question. She held her breath while he contemplated his answer.

“Disappointed,” he finally landed on. Hermione’s chest clenched and her stomach roiled. It must have shown on her face, however, since he smirked at her. “I didn’t even get to see you naked, your dress hid your activities very well.” His eyes held an honest humour in them and he was letting her see it.

Hermione’s breath exploded from her and to her absolute horror, a tear slipped out. Mortified, she quickly swiped it away. Draco made to reach for her, but instinctively knew she didn’t want that, so brought his hand back to his lap. “Maybe you ought to explain this reaction,” he told her.

“Will you sit and listen to everything without interruption?” she asked him. He nodded once.

“The simple answer is I thought I would lose you. I like our flirting and our loaded conversations. You always surprise me and I relish our challenging debates. I like the promise we made yesterday and I don’t want to jeopardize that, but you’re also my friend now and that I want to keep. 

“You have more of me than you think, you know… there are few people I can be so open with. Ugh, this sounds all so sappy. I hate saying things like this,” she took a breath before continuing, “One of the first things I learned on my travels was that I am not good at monogamy. I also couldn’t do one-night stands until I had learned to read auras in India since the awkwardness of the morning after was awful. Now I choose partners who want the same thing I do. I did try at first to maintain a relationship when I went to New Zealand, but I was too desperate for adventure and it ended badly.

“I generally now have a rotation of several people, there are currently four, I suppose three now that I’ve cut Jason loose. It has been more than that as well. Aside from Jason’s visit this morning I hadn’t been with anyone since Jun-ki the previous week. I think it’s important for you to understand that I have a semblance of a relationship with each person I’m with and try to make sure no one gets hurt. They are all aware of my position and respect it. And when it comes to you... well, it’s no secret that I desire you, but I am scared as well because what I feel goes beyond what I currently do for anyone else.”

She had held his gaze through her speech. Noting the minute changes in his face and tackling her fear head-on. She felt decidedly better after she had laid herself bare. She felt the glow of catharsis emanate through her and she sank more comfortably into the sofa. “It actually feels really good to say all that out loud,” she smiled at Draco. “I know my lifestyle is a little... different, but this is the way I am. You can make up your own mind about whether that still appeals to you or not,” she left the statement open so he could respond if he liked.

Draco paused but then spoke carefully. “As you are aware,” he began, “I dislike saying what I really mean. I, too, enjoy our interactions when they are cloaked in veils and not strictly defined. I will concede to tell you three things, however. I understand and respect your taking of many lovers since I do myself, our opinions on monogamy seem to correlate. Our... mutual whisky appreciator status remains unchanged from this and…” here he waited, seeming to collect his bravery to say the words. “I don’t wish to lose you and what it could lead to either.”

“OK.” Hermione said.

“OK.” Draco repeated. “I’m going to go now, got to get that bike back to Potter,” he said. Getting up and crossing to the door as she walked him to it. Turning quickly, he leaned into her and the sexual tension crackled around them again. “When I finally have you, Granger, take note that our encounter will outstrip any before me leaving you weak and panting for more.”

The heat of his eyes rippled through her, her arousal back in full force. Gods, she wished she could take him right there and then. The bastard knew the effect he was having, purposefully doing it so that she wouldn’t be able to stop thinking about him all day erasing the lingering effects from Jason completely. Crafty devil. He opened the door and left, making Hermione ache with the need to relieve her herself of the tension which she had to do twice before she was distracted by her origami crane flying outside the French doors. It had a shrunken parcel connected to it and she opened the door to let it in.

She removed the charm on the package with a wave and it grew into the size of a shoebox, but longer.

Opening it she grinned slyly. Le Roux had sent a gift to Felicia Lestrange at the Malfoy Manor which had been redirected to her via at House Elf in residence. Inside was a handsome leather set of a riding crop and a small paddle. There was a card with them, _My dearest Felicia, I wanted to express my absolute pleasure in making your acquaintance. My effort to show this sentiment required the rejection of many gifts that seemed entirely too formulaic for a unique specimen such as yourself. As you do not appear to be a woman interested in flowers which wither and fade in time, I hope this offering brings you a more sustained satisfaction. Yours however you wish, ELR._

Le Roux was making this even easier for her than she could have hoped. She pulled out her work binders of information and began formulating some plans to bring up on Monday for the next stage of their operation.

Her eyes bright with inspiration, she worked all throughout the day, finally exhausting herself around 11pm, collapsing in her bed. She rolled over onto the other side and the lingering scent of Draco there made her clench with a thrill of desire. He had been here, lying beside her last night and thoughts of their mutual promise were the last she had as sleep claimed her.

* * *

After Draco had taken Potter the bike back, he Apparated home. He took the clothes Granger had given him and placed them on a chair in his bedroom. Finally back in his own clothing consisting of a cashmere sweater and black cotton trousers, Draco went to read in his living room, but lying on his own couch just reminded him of the nights spent on Granger’s furniture. He remembered her curled up form, fast asleep and the way she felt in his arms. 

Staring blankly at his open book he thought back to last night and how their conversation that had innocuously been about space had really been them talking about the anxieties they had about their relationship now that it wasn’t strictly professional.

He wondered when he had started feeling this way for Granger. He had determined that it had been before her seduction demonstration but he had denied it, had clamped it down deep. The memory of him first approaching Granger as he’d moved into the Auror office rose up in him. The way she had cried out in surprise, her eyes slightly wild and her mouth open. The way the paper had floated around them before she’d easily brought it back to her. Had it been then? The way she’d treated him completely normally afterward as if he hadn’t been such a terrible kid to her, maybe that had been it... He frowned at himself. He had really been blind for staying away for so long, if he had seen past his superficiality then they may have already slept together.

He desperately wanted to be free to touch her in any way he wanted. Watching her and that Australian almost go at it in the stairwell this morning had been very arousing. Granger was right, he liked to watch her and each time he had watched her with a different man he had found himself taking note in his head about what she liked. She liked being in control, but would also play at being the submissive. She had really liked it when the Korean guy had slid his hand gently up her thigh and then ripped aggressively down her stocking. That last one was particularly typical of Granger, soft then hard, smooth then rough, her predilection for contradictions coming through in a sensory fashion.

He had an ardent desire to become one of her rotations, especially when it meant he could still maintain his other relationships and continue the one-night stands. There was something within him that constantly sought out new bed partners. It had started in his early twenties and had not stopped. At least once a week he had to feed the itch for someone new, something that neither Pansy nor Daphne could satisfy.

Having thought about it, he went to his study and woke up his eagle owl penning a missive to Pansy to come over today when she could. Something he had not done before. The witch was at his door within the hour.

“The fuck you want, Draco? I’m supposed to be going to a society dinner soon,” Pansy demanded as she swept into his house and he closed the door.

Draco watched her as her back was turned to him as she threw her purse and coat onto the couch, she was still nattering away. He crossed the room and held Pansy to him, her long dark hair reminding him of Granger when she was in costume and he ran his nose along her throat growling at her, “Shut up, Pans,” he said while he caressed her breasts through her silk shirt hearing the woman gasp in surprise. Hiking her pencil skirt up her fingered her through her lace underwear, feeling her become wet with need instantly.

“D-Draco...” Pansy said hesitantly, her skin had flushed at his movements, it was how he used to behave when they were together before she had married. She had moved her hands as if to undress herself. Draco stilled the motion, bringing them down to her side.

“Don’t take anything off, just move your knickers to the side,” he said, tonguing her across her collarbone making her whimper. She did as he asked though and he removed himself from his trousers and entered her from behind, leaning her over his couch’s arm as he bunched her hair in a fist. “Touch yourself, Pans,” he demanded. He remained unmoving inside her and felt her walls drench further as she turned herself on.

“Oh, that feels so good,” Pansy moaned, her fingers rubbing her sensitive bud.

Draco began slow but gained momentum as Pansy brought herself closer, he was entering hard and fast by the time she finally went over the edge, wailing out in pleasure. “Yes, Draco, keep going, fuck, that feels good!” she shouted and the slapping of their body parts grew even louder as he drove into her.

Pansy orgasmed again and Draco followed her soon after, pulling her upright by her hair and tilting her head back to kiss along her jaw line as the sensation rocked them both. He pulled out quickly after that and tucked himself away, waving his nearby wand to clean up the mess and cast the appropriate charms.

Pansy readjusted herself, still shaking slightly and breathing hard. She turned around, perching on the arm of the sofa.

“So, who is she?” the witch said, crossing her arms and narrowing her eyes. “We haven’t done ‘paint-by-numbers’ in quite a while now, you’re thinking of someone else while we fuck aren’t you?”

Draco ran a hand through his platinum hair, the locks around his face swinging forward again afterwards.

“Someone who came back into my life recently and is frustrating the hell out of me,” Draco said, through gritted teeth. While he had released some of the tension that had built up, it hadn’t been enough by far.

“So it’s either that Lestrange woman you took to the Leather and Lace party or it’s Hermione Granger.” Pansy looked up at him in a bored sort of way like she could really care less.

Draco’s eyebrows shot up.

“Daph and I talk about it, you know,” Pansy continued. “Whether you’ll add more like us to your ranks or if you will continue with all your whoring around instead.” Draco hadn’t been aware that the two women knew about his casual relationships with the other or that they kept tabs on him.

“Don’t look so shocked,” Pansy said, removing a stray hair off her silk blouse. “Of course we talk about it, when Daph told me you’d upped the ante in the bedroom with her one night a couple of weeks ago, I came over to experience it, too. We’ve both noticed the change, we like it though,” Pansy smirked up at him. “So, which is it, Lestrange or Granger?”

Draco barely contained his laughter that Pansy had no idea they were the same person. “Which do you think it is?” he said, confident that Pansy would choose his hot distant cousin, Felicia.

“I’d put my money on Granger,” Pansy replied, blithely. “Daph thinks it’s Lestrange though. Her husband wouldn’t shut up about the woman after Le Roux’s party.”

“Why would you think Granger though?” Draco said, intimating that Daphne was right.

“Because of school,” Pansy spat out. Her mouth was curled in distaste which was surprising to Draco since she was never jealous normally.

“Bloody hell, Pans, what’s with that look?” he asked her, indicating her reaction.

“You do realise that every time you verbally sparred with Granger you would then come and fuck me? Like clockwork, she would get you all riled up and I got to give you the release from it. I could always tell you were thinking about her and not me. When I was a girl, that hurt.” A look of remembered pain crossed her face. “You always had a weird thing for her and I doubt you’ve resolved it even after all this time.”

Draco hadn’t realised this, could it be true that he’d had feelings for Granger even at Hogwarts? He couldn’t remember having any desire for her, but that didn’t mean it hadn’t been there under many layers of anger and conditioning to hate her kind.

“I’m sorry you felt that way, Pans,” he said to his friend. She looked at him and shrugged.

“It doesn’t matter now, in fact it taught me to never rely on any man, which has helped keep me sane in my stupid pureblood arranged marriage,” she took up her coat and purse. “If that’s all, I’m going to go now, I’m already late.” She exited his house without further discussion, leaving him alone to ponder what she’d said.

* * *

Monday morning came and Hermione had gone into Harry’s office where their team meeting was being held. The four men looked at her enter and she smiled…

“How shall we start this?” Harry asked, looking to her to take control.

“Maybe we should start with this...” she brought out the box from her charmed bag and placed it on Harry’s desk. He opened it and took out the leather goods from within.

“How, uh, romantic,” he said.

“In a way it is,” Hermione replied, “See the craftsmanship? The leather is of the best quality and the designs in the handle are custom-made. The maker of these charges hundreds of Galleons per item.”

“And you know this because...?” Theo asked her.

“Because I use him as well. He’s the only person I know that can make a gimp mask that doesn’t chafe.”

“What are you doing that would cause a gimp mask to chafe?” Terry mused but continuing as Hermione opened her mouth, “No, wait, don’t bother, I don’t want to know.”

“There was a lovely note attached,” Hermione said, tossing it into the box. “To be honest, as gifts go, I was pretty impressed with Le Roux. He really gets what Felicia likes.”

“You mean what you like,” Theo corrected her.

“No, Felicia, she’s an entire person that I go to in my head, she’s rather different from me,” Hermione looked upwards in thought. “Felicia is snarky and kind of rude, she honestly believes she is better than almost everyone else and likes to lord it over them. She loves being the centre of attention and she uses people to get what she wants. She is also extremely confident as a result. She really gets off on hard-core domination. The things that woman had planned for Malfoy...” she shuddered. “Well, they’re not worth thinking about. Felicia will also change as we learn more about Le Roux, she’ll add layers that most appeal to him.”

She turned to Harry, placing a gentle hand on his shoulder. “I thought that I should talk to you all about Uzbekistan, I got permission from Kingsley to do so this morning. This is one thing that Harry doesn’t know the details about, but enough time has passed for this small group to know according to the Minister.”

“You’re finally going to tell me?” Harry said, “When I mirror-called you after your week there you could barely speak and you were so sick. It drove me crazy not knowing.”

Hermione took a deep breath, “I have been told to preface it with the fact that I made all the decisions myself and Kingsley would never have given me free reign if he’d known. You might want to station yourself in the bathroom, Harry. If you felt anxious on Friday, you might be sick when you hear it.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _IMPORTANT NOTE_ : I will be uploading two chapters next time. Chapter 15 will be a description of what Hermione has previously gone through and it’s pretty horrific. If you want to skip that, Chapter 16 will begin right after she describes the Uzbekistan mission but I don’t think you need to know the details to understand the aftermath. 
> 
> If you are not OK with graphic violence and threatened sexual assault, please skip that chapter.
> 
> I will repeat this warning at the start of Chapter 15.
> 
> Thank you for reading.


	15. Chapter 15

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Graphic Depictions of Violence - Hermione recounts her mission in Uzbekistan. Please skip to Chapter 16 if you prefer not to read about it, it doesn't affect the story, just provides understanding of how Hermione finds dealing with Le Roux easy.

_IMPORTANT NOTE_ : I will be uploading two chapters this time. This chapter is a description of what Hermione has previously gone through and it deals with graphic depictions of violence, not a flashback and maybe I’m just squidgy, but it’s horrible. If you want to skip that, Chapter 16 will begin right after she describes the Uzbekistan mission but I don’t think you need to know the details to understand the aftermath. 

If you are not OK with graphic violence and threatened sexual assault, please skip this chapter.

Thank you for reading.

* * *

That statement brought a sense of foreboding into the room. Harry didn’t move but had turned pale. No one said anything as they waited for her to begin.

“There was this textile multi-millionaire from Uzbekistan named Stas Juravleva who had helped shelter some of the terrorists from the attack on New Years’. He was a wizard with very little power. It made him a hateful and cruel person. He dealt in a lot of underground activities, laundering money, drug trade, that kind of thing.” Hermione paused, frowning a little deciding how to continue.

“I made contact with an informant the Ministry set me up with and they clued me in on what Juravleva was like. He has a particular quirk that he can only get hard if the person is screaming in terror.”

“That’s just fucked up,” Theo spat in disgust.

“The informant said that he liked the ones that held out on him though, treated them worthy of his notice beyond his… play room. Would parade them around and show off their strength of will. I was told if I held out for three days I’d get into the main rooms. I steeled myself with a whole lot of charms and my ashram meditation techniques and got myself in a situation where I pretended I was a Muggle and was promised a lot of money to participate in one of his ‘games’. It only took two days but around 18 hours of torture before he relented.”

She paused, rubbing her wrist remembering the shackles that had been clamped around them. Harry grabbed her hand and held onto it tightly, he was staring at his desk and taking deep breaths. She squeezed it and rubbed it with her thumb to comfort him.

“Before I say this next part, please try to remember I am fine. I was meditating and charmed so I wasn’t fully cognizant of the pain. It still hurt, but not as much as it should have.” She cast her gaze around the room, they looked wary but nodded at her to continue.

“He used a lot of different techniques, he’s not powerful but he knows _Crucio_ and he experimented with other spells like a low level _Confringo_ being cast, well, not where it should be. But I refused to scream and instead just looked at him like he was scum and spat in his face at some point. That turned out to be a mistake since he stuck me with a knife and reached into the wound to pull some of my intestines out. I coughed up quite a bit of blood then but still didn’t scream, and I didn’t scream when he ripped my fingernails out and I didn’t scream when he pulled my hair so forcefully some of my scalp came with it and then broke my kneecaps and my wrists so that I would be in agony no matter how I placed my weight.”

Harry bolted from his chair and went into the adjoining bathroom to throw up. Hermione looked at the other three. They did not look any better, Terry looked like he was trying very hard not to cry and Theo was shaking, head looking at the ground, his palms white-knuckled and clenching together. Malfoy had completely shut down, he had retreated into his own mind and just sat there staring ahead.

“Maybe I should stop...” she said. It was a horrific story, she didn’t like reliving it much either.

“No,” Harry choked out from the bathroom, “I need to hear everything.”

“Mm,” Terry said, “we have to get to the happy ending.” He looked at Hermione quickly and then away. Harry came back and sat back in his chair regaining his death grip on Hermione.

“When I still wouldn’t cry or scream he licked my face and shook me around and promised he’d have me somehow. He was very impressed with me and the way his eyes shone like he was falling in love still makes me feel ill. He took me upstairs and I finally completed my mission, documenting the terrorists that were in residence and even saw a couple of Death Eaters that had gone into hiding. I took note of them all making sure to look at all their faces hard to give my memories to be used as evidence to the Ministry informant. Juravleva showed me off and then dragged me back to a separate complex about 50 feet away from the main house. I never found out what was in there, thank Merlin. He was unlocking it and promising all sorts of hideous things that I wouldn’t wish on anyone in the world. He was also bragging and spouting off all sorts of rubbish about being important in both Muggle and magical realms further indicting himself without realising it. When he turned back to me, I grinned and Apparated since he had taken me past the wizarding wards. He didn’t know I could Apparate without my wand. Within ten minutes the place was stormed by a team dispatched by the International Confederation of Wizards and I gave my memories over to the Ministry official, it was Dawlish if I remember right. Then I went back to India and meditated for a very long time.”

A realisation dawned on Terry. “Is that why all these new regulations came in after Christmas a couple of years ago? All infiltrations were changed to be a team of people working together and any behaviours exceeding the new Ethical Code of Undercover Conduct would void the mission?”

“Yeah. Kingsley didn’t know that was what I had planned, he thought I would go in as a caterer or something.”

“Why didn’t you do that?” Theo asked.

“Juravleva only uses help that have been through conditioning in other households to deal with his extreme proclivities. They last longer that way.” Hermione remarked almost flippantly but there was pain hidden in her eyes. “I looked at loads of different options, but that way was the quickest and would be the most effective. Since the help he uses is permanently inside the home, there was no way to use Polyjuice Potion either. Believe me, I looked at all the possibilities. There were guards and truth serums and security questions. He was very thorough and smart. I would have endured at least six months of being broken psychologically to become part of the household and I didn’t know if I was strong enough for that. So, there was the option I used or something worse entirely.”

There was a pause as they contemplated a scenario in which Hermione Granger didn’t believe she would have survived.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not sure I'm cut out to write anything too dark, but I've got an assignment I have to do regarding it so this is a ease into it.
> 
> Sorry to any softies out there like me!


	16. Chapter 16

After Hermione had described the depravity she had endured from Juravlev, the air was heavy with negative emotion.

A realisation dawned on Terry. “Is that why all these new regulations came in after Christmas a couple of years ago? All infiltrations were changed to be a team of people working together and any behaviours exceeding the new Ethical Code of Undercover Conduct would void the mission?”

“Yeah. Kingsley didn’t know that was what I had planned, he thought I would go in as a caterer or something.”

“Why didn’t you do that?” Theo asked.

She described the reasons why not. They were terrible. “So, there was the option I used or something worse entirely.” She shivered.

There was a silence in the office. “I’m fine now,” she said. “I was lucky that he was a low-level wizard and couldn’t magically harm me too much, then I wouldn’t have been able to get away.”

“Oh, yes, you were so _lucky_ there, Granger.” Theo said, he seemed to have calmed down now, he saw Hermione was OK, she hadn’t broken down during the retelling proving to him that it was behind her. Hermione smiled at him in thanks. His logical and analytical brain had moved him on quicker than the others and she knew he understood that it was a job like any other. Had to be done.

Harry still hadn’t moved, but Terry seemed to be settling again now that Theo had returned to a sense of normalcy. “OK, Hermione, I think I will be able to handle anything else you have to do now. Nothing will be as awful as that and this time you have us to get you out before anything bad happens.” 

“I won’t let you go to Le Roux’s,” Harry whispered, Hermione looked at him. He was still staring downwards. She got off the arm of his chair and knelt down so her face was beside his own.

“I’m OK, Harry, everything’s fine now,” she said soothingly.

“No, it’s not, Hermione. You could have _died_. What would I do then? I couldn’t even breathe when you told me that. You are not doing this with Le Roux anymore. I can’t. I won’t let you,” Harry was mumbling and rocking in his chair nearing hyperventilation.

“Harry, look at me,” Hermione said, taking his head, gently and turning it to her. “I’m right here, I’m here with you. I won’t leave you again. I swear.”

“Do you mean that?” he asked, clarity slowly reclaiming prominence in his eyes.

“Yes,” she said, even as her stomach flipped, she still wanted to leave, but she would give it up for him.

Harry stood up, pulling her with him and crushed her into a hug. “Please,” he said, right against her ear so only she could hear, his breath caught in his throat as he continued. “Please don’t leave me again, I couldn’t bear it. And if anything happened to you, I don’t think I could survive that either.”

Hermione held him gently and kissed his temple. Then she caught him as her spell took effect and lowered him into his chair.

“Did Potter just faint?” Theo was eyeing the unconscious wizard.

“No, I put him into a calming sleep, it mimics how meditation works on the brain. I’ve only used it on myself before so I will see how he is when he wakes up. If all goes fine, that’ll be another patent I put through.”

“You used an experimental spell on him? That’s cold.” Theo countered, looking at Harry in slight concern.

“Actually, it feels like a warm bath, soothing and relaxing, when he wakes up, he will still be aware of the new information but it will have already settled into a kind of white noise. He’d be useless all day otherwise and I have a bigger problem sitting over there.” Hermione pointed to Draco who had not moved at all since she finished telling the story and had retreated so far into himself that he was basically catatonic.

“Shit,” Terry said, turning around.

“I’ve seen him like that before, the New Years’ incident and his parent’s funeral,” Theo said, he turned to Hermione. “Terry and I will leave you to it, he won’t want us here when he comes out of it. Be careful, he might be violent.”

Hermione gave a grateful look to the wizard, thankful for Theo’s rationality at that moment. “Are you two OK?” she asked.

Theo nodded and Terry gave a slightly shaky smile, “Well, it’s never nice to hear things like that, especially with someone you’re close to, but I feel better prepared for anything in the future we will have to deal with,” he said. “You can be assured that you are safe with us at your back, you won’t ever have to do anything like that again.”

His words made Hermione radiate with gratitude. “Thanks, really, thank you. And here’s your happy ending, Terry. This incident inspired me to get back into music, to write through the trauma. I used to love it before I found out I was a witch,” she smiled, happily. “Oh, and take a couple of these, they are Cheer Up Cherry Pops courtesy of Weasleys Wizarding Wheezes, they will put you in a really good mood.” Hermione told them, genuinely touched at their responses. She gave them the candy before hugging both of them before they left.

Walking quietly over to Draco, she knelt in front of him and looked into his dead eyes. This was a coping mechanism to escape reality, she had seen milder versions of it during their sixth year when Voldemort had given him that horrible task. 

She took his wrist and closed her eyes, breathing in sync with him and slowing her heart rate down in time to his own. If they were attuned to each other she would be able to coax him out of his own mind and into hers. She couldn’t go in to his since he was too skilled at Occlumency, but she thought if she called out to him, he’d flood in to hers instead.

_Malfoy... can you hear me? Try to come over._

There was nothing, no response. She climbed into his lap and opened his shirt, placing her hand and placing it over his heart. Closing her eyes again and re-synching herself she tried again.

_Malfoy? Malfoy, I’m right here, come to me._

Still nothing, just a blank wall. Keeping herself in tune with him, she leant forward and placed a kiss on his lips. There was a reason it fixed everything in fairy tales.

_Granger?_

_Yay! You came!_

_This isn’t a fucking party, Granger._

_No, it’s not. Do you think you can try and come back out now?_

Hermione felt him flipping through her head and she let him. He saw a highlight reel of what she’d described and then sped ahead to everything they had done together. He saw everything through her eyes, and she fought off a stab of panic that he knew exactly how she felt about him now.

_Ha, Granger, you’ve pleasured yourself a lot thinking about me._

_Do you blame me?_ Her inner monologue projecting her amused tone.

_No, I look even better in your memories than I do in the mirror_ , came Draco’s reply. He was already getting back to normal and Hermione could feel them slowly regressing back into full consciousness.

_You took your voice away, that’s how you didn’t scream_ , he said to her.

_Yes, there’s a Muggle story about a mermaid who gives away her voice to a sea witch in exchange for legs to be with her beloved. I took inspiration from that._

_But that girl lost her love and her life and turned to sea foam. You’re not allowed to turn to sea foam._

_Yeah, that’s why I based it on the Disney movie version instead, that had a happy ending._

_Maybe I should see it to affirm for myself._

Almost back to the surface, Hermione laughed in her mind. _Malfoy, you’d hate it. That would make it very amusing for me._

_Well, watching me squirm is one of your favourite hobbies right now…_

Then they broke through, Hermione opened her eyes and saw the presence return to Draco’s own. Recognition showed through and then also the realisation that they were kissing. Hermione pulled back a bit, slowly and carefully. Theo was right when he said that this could be violent as the tamped down emotions broke through again. Hermione saw the change but was thrown to the floor with Draco on top of her before she could do anything. He had grabbed her wrists and flung her wand away, accidentally ripping her shirt partially open in his fury. He was livid, with the situation she’d been in and with her for putting herself in it. He thought her incredibly stupid. The anger was by far the dominant emotion there.

A deep rumbling growl vibrated through him and Hermione knew she might actually be in danger right now, she knew she couldn’t use any magic or physical defence moves on him otherwise he would tip over into a berserker-like rage.

His gaze had changed into a possessive need to reaffirm status with her and he lunged in aggressively. Hermione thought quickly and spoke just before he reached her lips.

“Whatever you want, Malfoy, I will give it to you,” she said, and he stilled. The words acting almost like a series of safety words rather than the opposite that they promised.

“Granger, it’s really you,” he said. He rolled off her and lay on the ground, Hermione didn’t move either, shirt still open exposing her black satin balconette bra.

“Fuck!” Malfoy exclaimed, banging the ground with a fist. “I couldn’t handle that at all. You let me in though, I can see you’re fine. Not even deep-seated trauma. India was a good choice.”

“I still think you did marginally better than Harry. He threw up and then I had to knock him out to calm him down. He’ll be fine in an hour.” Hermione felt in her skirt pocket for another Cheer Up Cherry Pop and gave one to him. “Don’t question, just eat it.”

Draco did as she bid and sighed after sucking for just a few moments. Regaining himself fully, he turned towards her and propped himself up on an elbow. He took in her form in the bra and the expanse of her toned abdomen kept tight with Auror fitness training and yoga.

“Does your offer still stand, whatever I want?” he grinned lasciviously at her.

Hermione stretched provocatively to mess with him, bending her legs and lifting her arms above her head, arching her back to lift her breasts even higher. She turned her face to him, biting her lip. Her look glittered teasingly at him.

“Stop that, I won’t have Potter sharing your first time with me as well,” Draco jerked his head towards the slumbering wizard.

“Aw, you’re no fun, Malfoy,” Hermione pouted.

“Why don’t you call me Draco? You certainly do when you’re by yourself” he asked her, a sly grin on his face.

To his astonishment, she blushed, a real blush that she was actually embarrassed by.

“Why don’t you use mine?” she retorted but he just looked at her like she owed him one.

“I don’t know, it feels very intimate. Names are powerful things. I kind of only want to use it in sighs and moans. It feels scandalous to use it outside that context.”

Malfoy looked down at her and her blush increased, her insides squirming under his gaze.

“You referred to your others by their first names,” he remarked.

“Well, yes, but I don’t feel the same way with them as I do about you. I-, well, you saw.” Her blush burned even brighter and she sat up, letting her hair swing forward to cover it, re-buttoning her shirt. “If you want me to switch so I treat you the same as everyone else, that’s fine.”

Draco sat up, too and tucked her hair back but she wouldn’t look at him. “Don’t. I want you to only use my name in the bedroom,” his eyes lit up with heat. “Will your name work on you to the same effect?”

Hermione only nodded. She went back to business. It would get awkward if they let the moment linger any longer. “I’m going to see Le Roux on Wednesday, from the bug recording we know that the people who talk deals with him are taken into a room near the foyer, but there are four rooms it could be. I’ll go in and try to suss out which one it is then on Friday I will take a guest myself and plant the second bug.”

“Sounds decent, who will you take on Friday?” he asked, wondering how they would figure it in.

“I thought I’d take Harry in; it will help him to be with me to see for himself properly that it’s fine.”

“He might be more likely to act irrational and freak out though,” Malfoy countered.

“We will get him out if that happens, but I don’t think it will.” Hermione glanced over at Harry’s desk. “Speaking of, I’m going to stay with him until he wakes up.” Hermione got up and went over to Harry, transfiguring two of the chairs to become a large beanbag which she levitated Harry onto. Draco stood up, too and watched as she lowered herself next to her friend, stroking his hair softly.

“Oh, little brother, whatever shall I do with you,” Hermione hushed, watching his deep even breaths.

“Little brother?” Malfoy scoffed.

“Yes,” Hermione told him, “I’m older than both of you, as the eldest I have to protect you.”

“I don’t need protecting,” Malfoy scoffed, adorably screwing up his face.

“You do, but I did a terrible job today, I had to save you instead.”

“What about you? Don’t you need protecting and saving sometimes?”

Hermione shrugged a shoulder. “Perhaps, but I promised Harry just before I would never leave him again. You both have me forever.”

Malfoy was quiet at the thought. He knew she was telling the truth since he had seen her conviction in her thoughts. “Forever is a long time,” he finally replied.

“Time is a relative construct anyway, it’s like we were talking about last night. You just have to look up at the sky and realise that no matter the distance of miles or years, we still share the same space.”

“It might just be the candy concoction of George’s, but I like the way that sounds.” With that Malfoy left the room.

Hermione rested her eyes as well, waiting for Harry to wake up. She wasn’t sleeping, but she tried to think of her plans for Le Roux this week. She kept straying to her interaction with Malfoy just now though. He knew how she felt now, knew that not only did she desire him, but she liked him. Really liked him. If she was honest with herself it was much more than that even. It had gone way beyond infatuation now and she felt embarrassed that he was aware how highly she thought of him. It couldn’t be good for his ego. Sighing, she tried to return to business related thoughts.

It was another half hour before Harry stirred.

“’Mione,” he said, smiling at her.

“Hey, Harry,” she replied. “How you feeling?”

“Good, calm now. I still remember what you told me, but it’s like it happened years ago- You spelled me, right?” he grinned at her, knowing he’d caught her out.

“I did, I’m glad it worked. I will put it through the Patent Office now, I think. Once it’s gone through all their trials and declared safe, I think it will be bought by some potion companies for use in medicines. I might gift its use to St Mungo’s as well to help with PTSD.”

“That’s a really nice idea,” Harry said, yawning in her face, laughing at her scrunched-up nose.

“I thought you might want to come with me as my date to Le Roux’s on Friday,” Hermione told him. “So, you can see the operation from the inside and further convince yourself it’s fine.”

“That would be good,” Harry agreed. “Will we plant the second bug?” Harry’s perceptiveness was still as sharp as ever. After she had nodded, he followed her half-made plan logically.

“You’ll go in first and find the right place to put it?” he said, and she nodded again, grinning at his deduction.

“I like that plan; we will work on it this week.” Harry then looked at where they were and down at their almost touching bodies. “I didn’t realize how close we actually are. It’s kind of like the morning after we never got to have.” Hermione was surprised he mentioned that night, he had never done so to her before.

“I meant what I said earlier, ‘Mione. I don’t know what I’d do without you. I know I have Ginny, but she hasn’t been with me like you have. Every time you’re not around I almost die, the final room with the Philosopher’s Stone, the Chamber of Secrets, the Portkey at the Triwizard Tournament, the forest at the Battle of Hogwarts, the mission at Perry Green last year... I’ve learned my lesson and want to keep you close from now on. I’m know it’s really selfish of me-“

Hermione cut him off, placing a cool hand on his cheek. “I won’t leave again. I have been selfish too, we’re human, it’s allowed,” she smiled at him again. “Harry, I don’t tell you enough, and you ought to know, I love you.”

“I love you, too, ‘Mione,” they shared a moment of knowing they were there for each other through anything. “We ought to get up now, it will look weird if anyone walks in.”

“You’re right,” Hermione said, sitting up which readjusted the beans causing Harry to roll so he collided with her lower hip and back.

Laughing, they pulled each other to their feet and left for the Auror office to get started on some plans for the next bug placement.


	17. Chapter 17

Over the rest of that Monday and the following Tuesday, the team had come up with a viable plan for the next stage against Le Roux. Wednesday, Hermione found herself at the manor and waiting haughtily in the foyer, arms crossed, looking around the place. She had been told to wait for the butler to reach Le Roux and Felicia had not liked being told what to do.

Several minutes later, she heard clicking footsteps come down the staircase at the end of the passage which went up to the private area.

“Felicia, my dear! I’m so pleased you could come,” Le Roux walked toward her with open arms. “Do I have your permission to greet you properly?” Hermione responded by placing her hands in his own, Le Roux gripping them before kissing her on both cheeks.

“ _I_ am no longer pleased with my decision to come here,” Hermione retorted with a sneer on her lips. “I would have thought your staff would have offered somewhere for me to sit and a beverage at least.”

“Francis, why did you not attend the lady?” Le Roux said, rounding on his butler.

“My apologies, sir. May I correct the oversight now, madam?”

“No, you may not and the sight of you makes me irritated, now leave,” she demanded of the servant before he turned and fled. Hermione worried that her dominance in his house would anger Le Roux but he merely seemed amused.

“You look lovely again today,” Le Roux complimented, roving an eye over her navy-blue pinstriped dress. It was form-fitting and classy, paired with some black patent heels. Hermione knew the effect was quite staggering.

“As do you,” she countered, a little distractedly as she looked around. She made sure to look everywhere so the team could see through her charmed rhinestones again. “You know I have yet to be given a tour of your estate, perhaps you care to enlighten me?”

Le Roux smiled at her and they wandered through the public areas of the house. They talked and Hermione found herself enjoying his company. He was intelligent, cultured, well-travelled. He had a penchant for the more luxurious and sanitised parts of the globe which Felicia loved even if Hermione thought was a bit pretentious.

They discovered they had both been in Milan at the same time. They talked about the architecture of the duomo, Le Roux surprising Hermione with his impressive knowledge of its history. Le Roux appeared to be equally as impressed with her his eyes barely able to leave her face.

He brought one of her hands into the crook of his elbow as he led her back outside. They took a pathway around the edge of the house. The west side of the building showed a large expanse of well manicured lawn. As they continued they wandered out onto a stone area which had a large marble outdoor table in the centre of it.

“You have exquisite taste,” Hermione remarked, running her hand along the smoothness of the tabletop. “Carrara, I’m guessing?”

“Yes, your eye for detail is impeccable, my queen,”

“My Queen...” Hermione rolled that over her tongue. “I like it. You may not call me anything else from now on.”

“Of course, my Queen,” Le Roux acquiesced. A fire dancing in his eyes. “May I enquire about the other parameters of our relationship?”

Hermione turned to him, schooling Felicia’s face into one of careful consideration. Hermione already knew what he liked, he let it dance around him openly in his aura.

“You’ve been presumptuous, haven’t you? Show me,” Hermione sent a smirk to the man.

“I confess, I have been. It’s in my office if you’ll look over it?” Hermione began walking, not taking her eyes off him. He led her to a room that was clearly a private office. It was cozy in there, not as ostentatious as the public areas but still very elegantly furnished. Le Roux unlocked a drawer, slipping the key into his trouser pocket. He handed her a bound document, she read over it, confirming what she already knew. Le Roux was looking at her with slight apprehension as if he thought some of his requests were too extreme.

“This will do nicely,” she took the quill offered her and signed Felicia Lestrange where prompted. “Perhaps we should find somewhere more amenable for this after we finish the tour.” She drummed her fingers on the document.

“Is there anywhere in particular you wish to visit, my Queen?”

Hermione looked at the man. He was already aroused, his cheeks were flushed and his eyes shone in her presence. She decided she could press further. “Take me somewhere where only I can go. Somewhere you won’t allow your guests access to.”

Le Roux blanched at her request so she narrowed her eyes and forced an indomitable will into her voice. “I am not some jaxied whore you can put anywhere you like. I want the best room for our encounter today, and I want it _now_.” Her words had been low and powerful, her eyes staring intensely into his, an arrogant, determined steel to them that could not be denied.

Le Roux withered immediately. “Yes, my Queen, of course. I will lead you to such a place right now.”

“Walk ahead and don’t look me in the eye, the cowardice there revolts me,” Hermione added, with a curl of her upper lip. A shiver ran through the man and as they walked, Hermione used her ability to read auras to see that he was very much affected by everything she did. His aura was practically vibrating with need, tendrils of it occasionally trying to connect with her own as she pumped out a thick layer of pheromones.

Le Roux used the back entrance leading up from the courtyard to go into the house. The whole area was new to Hermione and they climbed a flight of stairs heading for the private areas. The plush red carpet of the hallway stretched a long while with doors to other rooms punctuating the walls. They climbed another flight of stairs at the end and walked to the middle of the hallway where a pair of handsome mahogany doors stood, which Le Roux unlocked to allow their entry.

The suite it opened into was clearly Le Roux’s private chamber which surprised Hermione, as she thought he would have taken her to a spare guest suite instead.

“Yes, this will suit me quite nicely,” Hermione said, entering the room. She swept her gaze over to the king-size bed with its silk and fur coverings. At the foot of the four-poster bed were two chairs with rounded wooden arms. She sat herself one, leaning back regally before snapping her head back to Le Roux. He was hesitating by the door, eyes dilated with lust. He was wavering at his decision to bring her here, warring with his desire. He knew he was being reckless.

“Kneel in front of me,” she pointed to a spot in front of her, voice stern and full of command to the now-passive Le Roux.

“Yes, my Queen.”

“Have you been bad?” Hermione asked him as he knelt before her, hands on his knees.

“Do I have your permission to look into your heavenly green eyes, my Queen?” Le Roux asked, head down-turned as he had been told earlier.

“No, you may not,” Hermione spat back, her distaste clear. She saw him shudder in desire at being treated like this, like he was the scum of the Earth. If she was honest, it was fun for her, too. Well, it was fun for Felicia. “You will be punished for your insubordination, now answer my question.”

“I am bad, really bad,” he replied.

“That was pathetic, try again.” Hermione said, pulling the leather goods she’d received out of her charmed bag and slapping them across the palm of her hand so he could hear it.

Le Roux began shaking in anticipation and an erection twitched stiff against his trousers.

“I’m a filthy, disgusting waste of space not worthy of your attention, my Queen,” he said, breath hitching.

“That’s correct, minion. I will punish you now for earlier. Take off all your clothes and kneel at my feet again. If you look me in the eye once, my wrath will be immeasurable. Do you understand?”

“Yes, my Queen,” came Le Roux’s reply.

“Begin,” said Hermione. Le Roux removed his clothes and folded them at the base of the bed before kneeling once more, he had not looked at her once. Hermione appraised the man, he kept himself in very good condition, muscles toned but not overly defined.

Hermione traipsed the toy he had sent her along his naked shoulder, causing him to spasm again, his cock twitching in response to the lust pounding through him.

“Beg my forgiveness, minion,” she uttered darkly, reverberating power through the words.

“My Queen, your humble servant implores you for your forgiveness. I am not worthy of you and shall take whatever punishment you see fit to earn your grace.”

“Bow low upon the ground,” Hermione ordered. He did so and she stood up, placing a stiletto heel between his shoulder blades. She placed pressure there but not enough to hurt him like he wanted. “We must establish a word to represent our relationship,” she said, to which Le Roux’s bowed head nodded.

“As your first interaction in our arrangement was to make an apology, we will use that. However, I imagine that will be a regular occurrence in both French and English. You will use Korean. The word is ‘sagwa’. Let me hear you say it minion,” she demanded.

“S-sagwa,” Le Roux sounded out. 

“You won’t forget it?” she asked, digging her heel in a little more causing him to whimper. 

“No, my Queen. I will say sagwa when your heavenly presence becomes too much for me,” he said, a longing in his voice.

“I will be giving you two strokes as punishment for the two eyes you deemed worthy of looking at me,” Le Roux shivered beneath her.

“Yes, my Queen,” Le Roux replied, the sound somewhat muffled by the carpet. Without preamble Hermione lashed him twice in quick succession, deep red marks scoring his pale back before she removed her foot and brought it to his collarbone, nudging him so he toppled backwards splayed onto the carpet. She brought the stiletto to the hollow of his throat and placed pressure there, just enough that his breathing was slightly obstructed. His gasps and squirms making him hiss with pain as the marks on his back rasped against the expensive wool carpet from the floor.

“You may look at me now,” Hermione demanded and Le Roux’s eyes flew to hers, slightly widened with panic, but a deep aching longing and desire there as well. She met his gaze with her own steely one. “If you _ever_ disobey my orders again, I will have you back in this position, but my heel will be all the way through your throat and into the carpet, impaling you there. Do you understand?”

“Ack, yes my- my Queen,” Le Roux struggled out.

“Good.” Hermione answered, releasing him and sitting back on the chair again. “Back in position,” she ordered and Le Roux obediently got back on his knees in front of her. She had been paying close attention and it seemed he liked being humiliated so she had a fun exercise for him now. She had been training in the Auror gym earlier that day and had not washed her feet so the dust and sweat was still on them. She internally laughed at the thoughts her team would be having with this.

“Take off my shoe,” she said. Though she had charmed her feet to smell clean so as not to ruin her shoes, they were visibly dirty still. “My activities today required me to be in a rather unclean environment, I left my shoes off the entire time and thought of you, my loyal servant.” Le Roux’s eyes jumped from her foot to her eyes as a burst of heat went through them. He liked his Queen thinking of him.

Hermione brought out a book from her charmed bag, the one her and Draco had discussed not long ago and flipped into the centre to continue her reading, appearing disinterested in Le Roux entirely. “You will clean my feet while I further my progress through this book.”

“Would my Queen like a particular scented water for this?” Le Roux asked her, voice reverent still.

Hermione looked at him again and openly sneered, “There will be no water. You must complete this task with your mouth alone. Be lucky I did not choose for you to lick clean one of the guest waste receptacles downstairs.”

“I am forever grateful, my Queen,” Le Roux said and got to work tonguing languorously over the soles of her feet, sucking her toes and eliciting moans from the back of his throat. Hermione glanced at him from under her lashes. Merlin, not only was the man a complete masochist, he was also turned on by feet. Hermione saw that by taking a look at the tawny-brown sprinkles surrounding him with her aura reading and she could see the testosterone and desire wafting off him.

“You may pleasure yourself while servicing me,” she told him. This combination would have him in the palm of her hand, moving her plans up a week which could only be good for them.

“Thank you, my Queen,” Le Roux said and he began stroking himself. Hermione continued reading as he lapped all over her foot, his breathing laboured and his groans now guttural with need, eyes closed in bliss. She caressed the arms of the antique chair while holding the book in one hand. The sensation of her foot being licked felt weird to Hermione but she stuck with it and never flinched, it was why she had brought the book, to distract herself from any ticklish jerks she might do.

After a few minutes her foot had been lapped clean and Le Roux whimpered before begging, “Please my Queen, may I have my release-“ she didn’t even let him finish before she slapped him so hard across his face that his head rocked to the side and a bright handprint appeared instantly. A violent quake of desire trembled through him.

“You absolutely may not until I say so,” Hermione thundered at him. “Continue with my other foot and if you do well, then I _may_ consider allowing you to come.”

“Yes, my Queen. Forgive me, my Queen.” Le Roux said, before removing her other foot from her shoe and beginning his ministrations to it. When he started making the sounds that indicated he was close again, Hermione shot her hand out, quick as a viper and closed it slightly around his throat, removing him from her now-clean foot. She glanced at him briefly and took in the wonder and desire in his eyes before turning back to her book. Casually turning a page she said, “Your Queen is pleased, you may orgasm now.” She felt the rhythm of his body hasten with his strokes and his breathing grew ragged and slightly rasped from her grip on him.

She closed the book and paid attention to him. She could tell his release was very close so she leaned in and demanded, “Come now, come hard for me.” That was all it took for him to spurt his seed out in large jerking bursts as he shuddered. The grip she still held on his throat prolonging and intensifying his orgasm. She slowly released her handle on his neck and fisted his hair instead, holding him up while the last of his efforts shook out. She angled his head so that his neck was bent and he was looking up at her.

“Is my servant satisfied?” she asked.

A sated growl issued from Le Roux, “My satisfaction relies solely upon you, my Queen, and has well and truly seen the far reaches of your benevolence. This chair is your throne and I will not allow any other to sit upon it.”

“Very good answer, minion,” Hermione purred, Le Roux preening at the praise. She leaned over his face and kissed him softly, her hand passing over his back to where she had lashed him casting a charm to soothe the area. He moaned in satisfaction as she lightly trailed her hands over him, telling him how well he had done. His eyes were glassy from sustained pleasure. “That is all for today, your Queen is needed elsewhere. What is the word you must remember?” she asked him. 

“Sagwa, my Queen,” Le Roux replied diligently.

“Very good, my servant. You have done very well today.” She got up and replaced the items in her bag before heading to the door. “I expect you at the foyer within five minutes to see me out,” she said over her shoulder before exiting and going to the entrance hall.

As she walked down the stairs leading from the private area, she noticed a sharply dressed man waiting with the butler, conversing lightly with him.

“Miss Lestrange?” the man called to her. His eyes flicked from her form to the stairs beyond and back, taking special notice from where she had descended.

“Mr. Selwyn, pleasure to see you again,” Hermione said cordially, extending a hand out which was gently grasped and kissed.

Hermione remembered the gentleman from the Leather and Lace party, he was Pansy Parkinson’s husband. He had softly curling brown hair that ended at his shirt collar and his brown eyes sparkled with an intelligence Hermione admired.

“I have been hoping to see you again,” he said to her, a flirty smile gracing his wide mouth.

“Many do,” she rejoined, sending a coy look back at him.

“Dominick, what brings you here?” Le Roux said as he approached them.

“Just some business, the same we discussed last time,” Selwyn answered carefully, sliding a glance from Le Roux to Felicia and back again.

“Good news from our friends in France, I hope,” Le Roux replied.

“It’s something I would rather discuss alone, I’m sure you understand Miss Lestrange,” the handsome man said, his lips quirked in a polite smile, but his eyes guarded his intentions.

“Of course,” Hermione said, “I will see you again soon, Mr. Selwyn,”

“Never soon enough,” he replied as he headed into the door third on the right, the last one before the staircase and Hermione knew that was the room she’d been looking for.

She turned to leave, “Felicia, wait!” Le Roux had caught her up and gestured to her hand and looked for permission before grasping it. “My dear and lovely Queen, when can I see you again?”

“I will attend your party on Friday when there is a larger crowd,” she told him and he nuzzled against her hand. “I will tell you now that I will be bringing a date.”

Le Roux stilled and his angry gaze met hers. “My lady, you think it wise to do so?

“A Queen has many subjects, my servant,” she said quietly. “And this subject will give you cause for joy.”

“What more joy could I receive other than your attentions, my Queen?” Le Roux returned.

“He will be able to offer you something in a different vein, something more along the lines of this,” at that moment, she pulled a large extendable pouch out of her bag and placed it into Le Roux’s hands. “There is 50,000 Galleons in there as my own contribution to your... endeavours,” she crooked an eyebrow to let him know she supported the secret cause he fronted. “My guest may be able to give treble the amount if you do not embarrass yourself or more importantly me with your jealousies.”

“My lady, I seek forgiveness, I felt aggrieved that you would bring yet another man here that I am made to suffer.”

“I feel I must point out that our mutual friend Draco is the reason we made each other’s acquaintance.”

“Ah, yes, our _friend_ Draco,” Le Roux said, spitting out the word like it was mud. “He took you home that night, my darling when I could only but watch. I did not like that, and I find you are staying with him as well. I confess my heart bruised with the knowledge.”

Hermione laughed, filling the entrance hall with the sound. “Fear not, my dear servant. That night I quickly discovered that for all our striking Malfoy’s many attributes he simply could not keep up with me, so there is no threat to your position in my court from him, my servant. I have not seen him at the Manor since that night.”

“I find myself exquisitely relieved,” Le Roux said, a sigh escaping from his held breath. “I should attend to Dominick, but will see you on Friday? The theme is 1,001 Nights.”

“How intriguing, Monsieur Le Roux. I will be there.” She let him give her a kiss on the cheek before she Apparated away.

***

Draco had been in Harry’s office watching the mirrors they had set up on the desk so they could take notes of the layout at the mansion. Once she had Apparated out of there she was heading home to change before coming back to the office.

“Gross. That was gross,” Terry said, exhaling a long breath and looking a little pale.

Harry leant his temple in steepled fingers. “She did well. She got access to his private suite and we know which room to put the second bug in. Everything’s moving along better than we thought,” he paused. “She used the activation word for the bugs. You don’t think she…?” he trailed off, looking at Malfoy who just raised his eyebrow at him.

Harry dove for the warded drawer in his office where they kept the bugs, there were only four in there. Hermione had snuck one away to take with her. 

“Damnit, Hermione,” Harry said, slamming the drawer. He ran a stressed hand through his hair turning to Malfoy. “That’s too risky, what if she got caught? Or gets it discovered?”

“You’ve got to hand it to her though,” Theo said, chuckling. “She even got Le Roux to say no one else would sit in her ‘throne’, it may be safer than we think.”

Terry groaned. “Ugh, I’m gonna have to sit through so many more gross things now!” He dropped his head in his hands despairingly.

Theo laughed at his poor vanilla friend, clapping him on the back.

“She also paved your entry into the place, Potter,” Draco said. “Although she has also promised 150,000 Galleons be given over to Le Roux’s operation. I don’t know where you’re going to get that from. How she managed to convince the Ministry to give her 50,000 is beyond me. I thought they would only sign off on up to 5,000.”

“Yeah,” Theo put in. “Did she sneak it out from your coffers, Draco? I wouldn’t put it past her.”

Harry shook his head. “No, that’s Hermione’s own money. She told me that plan just before she left for the manor.”

“She can afford that? She won’t get it back,” Theo said.

Potter ran a hand through his perpetually messy hair. “You know how I’m always saying, ‘this tricky little charm Hermione made’? Well, she patents all of those and companies pay her a lot to use them. I think she has over 100 now. Her and Jun-ki put through 25 over the last few months she was away. I’d say her net worth is pretty close to Malfoy’s by now.”

Draco raised an eyebrow at that. He’d had no idea. It made sense when he thought about it though. She lived in an incredible place in the middle of London, she’d not worked for two years and stayed all over the world and when he saw her real clothing, they were clearly of good quality, many of them custom-fitted.

Theo snorted. “She just loves to keep surprising us, doesn’t she?”

“I think we’re missing the most important thing here!” Terry exclaimed. They all turned to look at him. “She made a man come so hard he almost fainted and she barely even touched him! How is that even possible?”

The roar of the Floo during this sentence alerted them to Granger’s return. “It’s possible for both a man or a woman to orgasm without any touching at all. I didn’t go that far, but I could have.”

“Seriously?” Terry said. “How?”

“By having the right conditions, each unique to a person. Le Roux’s fall handily into being a masochist with a foot fetish on top. I could let you know yours if you are willing to do a tantric meditation with me,” Granger offered calmly.

“What does that entail?” Terry asked, genuinely intrigued.

“We meditate for a few hours and then I use a spell that opens up your entire aura to me. It shows me your magic, your likes and dislikes, including sexual ones and who you are innately as a wizard. It’s one of the most intimate things a person can do with another,” she explained.

Terry blushed. “I don’t think I could do that,” he looked at Granger again. “Have you done it? What does it feel like?”

“For me it felt like a midnight summer’s breeze on the edge of thunder. It smelled of pomegranates and dark chocolate and your skin tingles all over like it’s fizzing.” Hermione hugged herself at the memory.

Harry interrupted their discussion. “That was really good ‘Mione, with Le Roux, I mean. He seems very taken with you now.”

“With Felicia, you mean,” she corrected.

“Yeah, that’s what I meant. We know where we have to go for the plan on Friday now as well. A bit of luck Selwyn came by when he did.”

“Yes, I was wondering how I was going to bring it up otherwise,” Hermione said to him.

“Pansy’s husband also took a liking to you,” Draco said. “He should spend that energy on his wife instead.”

“Oh, like you do?” Granger retorted, sticking her tongue out at him.

“Real mature, Granger,”

“So, you are all OK? The fetish stuff didn’t freak you out?” she looked at them all.

Terry shuddered. “After the Uzbekistan thing, everything else seems tame,” he screwed up his face. “It still isn’t - ah - my cup of tea.”

“I agree,” said Theo. “You were so cool under pressure, I thought Le Roux might throw you out after you demanded to go to one of the private rooms.”

“Yeah, when you said ‘I want your best room and I want it now’ a shiver went down me. It was so cold and menacing.” Terry shook himself.

“How about you two, all calm with sanity retained?” she looked at him and then at Harry.

“I was surprisingly fine,” Potter said. “I think it will be all good come Friday and I have to be there in person.”

“Apart from telling Le Roux that I wasn’t man enough for you, everything was fine,” Draco said sarcastically.

“Felicia, not me,” Granger corrected again.

“However,” Theo said, pointing an accusing finger at her. “You lied. And don’t you dare say you just omitted part of the plan,” he wagged the finger right as she opened her mouth. “You took one of the bugs without letting us know, that was dangerous and hurtful.”

Hermione looked around the group. Harry’s lips were pressed in a thin line, Draco was glaring at her, and Terry was scuffing his foot awkwardly on the ground. She came back to look to Theo. “You’re right, I’m sorry. I just knew it wouldn’t be signed off and I only did it when I saw an opportunity.”

“That doesn’t matter, we are a team. We have to know everything. We have to trust each other. I’ve gotten to know you quite well since you joined us and I would hate if anything happened to you. What if something had gone sideways? We wouldn’t have known the full story which affects our decisions.”

“Exactly and-” Harry said but Theo held a palm up towards him.

“Harry, you and Malfoy are always chastising her. She’s gotten used to it, maybe this time she’ll listen and listen _properly_.”

Hermione had seemed shocked. She hadn’t expected this from Theo. He was right, if it came from Malfoy or Harry she would have eventually manipulated the situation in her favour. She knew Theo was taking a chance, how she reacted would determine their friendship and their working relationship. 

She dropped her eyes, cheeks hot. “You’re right, Theo. I’m sorry, I won’t do it again.” Her voice was steady, she looked up at Theo her apology shining with truth. She meant it and hoped he could see that.

He dropped his hand and smiled at her in acceptance. The group seemed less tense now. Malfoy looked at his friend with a renewed respect and Harry smirking at Hermione feeling admonished.

“We should talk about costumes for Friday then, Hermione,” Potter spoke up. “Do you have any clue what we will go as?”

“I want to go as Jasmine from _Aladdin_ but no one will get that reference. I might do the costume anyway since it’s right at the heart of the theme. For you, anything from the East will be good? Maybe a ninja? Or a scimitar-wielding warrior?” Granger suggested.

“As long as I’m clothed,” Potter said.

“You must be glad to be off the hook with costumes now,” Theo told Draco.

“This theme would have been better last week. If I was a ninja no one would have known who I was then.” Draco complained.

“Which would have defeated the purpose entirely,” Granger commented. “Are there any other questions regarding today or for Friday?” she continued. When everyone shook their heads she went over and hugged Harry. “I’m going to pop over to see Hemi tonight, he messaged me this morning. I’ll be back after I get a top-up,” she said this as she rubbed her wrist distractedly.

“OK, ‘Mione. I’ll see you tomorrow at some point then.” Granger told her friend good night and kissed him on the cheek before Flooing away.

“I think we can all go home now,” Harry told the rest of them and Draco asked to use Potter’s Floo to get home quicker.

Once back in his own house, Draco thought about Granger and her performance today. She was incredible. When Le Roux looked at her, the guy was half in love already. The way she had commanded him around had all of them in the office feeling uncomfortable watching together since her voice reached inside you and clamped down hard.

He thought back to the sexual acts themselves. Granger had been very skilful there as well. She had positioned the book so they couldn’t see Le Roux’s genitals which was a blessing for all of them and had kept her eyes down on the book for most of it, only holding the man’s gaze during the last bit when she’d choked him. Her slim fingers clutching the man’s throat as he blew through the most intense orgasm Draco had encountered.

He knew that using the book he and Granger had discussed together was a way to show him that he was still on her mind even while doing that with Le Roux. Having entered her brain and flicking through it on Monday, he knew that she reciprocated his own feelings. It wasn’t just wanting to fuck, it was something more. It had made him feel calm knowing that. On Sunday she had talked about their friendship and not wanting to lose that, but what he felt was deeper than plain friendship. He was selfishly glad that she hadn’t been able to read his mind the same since having her thoughts revealed to him had pushed him even deeper. He’d fallen beyond by seeing her mind open and willing to give itself to him. He was now dangling on the precipice of being in love with her. The thought made him recoil, being too much to bear right now.

Pouring himself a whisky he relaxed on the couch, taking off his Ministry robes as he did so. But then came a knock to his door. Figuring it might be Daphne or Pansy he opened it. Hestia Carrow was standing there.

“Hi, Draco. I need a fuck,” she breezed past him into the flat.

Draco knew Hestia and her twin Flora. Of course he did, they were pureblood. But they hadn’t had much interaction outside social elite parties. He had seen her near Daphne a lot, they must be friends.

He had closed the door behind him and she sat gone to sit on his couch, flipping through a book on the coffee table. “So? Want to take me on?” 

He studied the witch, she was aristocratically beautiful like many other purebloods and her movements were elegant, slow moving like water. She looked up at him from the side and he was reminded of Hermione doing the same thing in the stairwell, he pulled her up, grasping her hand roughly and crushed her against him.

“Oh, yessss,” she hissed before colliding her mouth with his. Threading her fingers through his hair.

He walked forward, pushing them to the other side of the room to brace them on a wall.

He dipped his head to kiss along Hestia’s neck and she was panting, pleading for more. Poor witch sounded starved. The familiar hunger simmered low in Draco and he growled against her neck making her shiver.

“Please, please, please, Draco. Give me more,” her breathing was laboured and she was shaking in anticipation. He was still distracted by what he had witnessed earlier today though.

He revisited the images of Granger and her lover in the stairwell and recreated it with Hestia.

Her breath got lost in her throat as she felt him kneel between her legs, hiking up her skirt and pulling her underwear down. He licked her clit and her knees nearly buckled, a moan escaping her. She must have worked herself up before desperation brought her to him.

“Oh Circe, Merlin, Salazar, please. Keep going, please,” Hestia was begging and he obliged. He lapped and suckled at her before pressing a finger inside her, feeling how wet she was.

“Oh- I going to- oh, please Draco!” Hestia cried and with him sucking her clit and crooking the finger inside her she came. A scream emanating from her as she pulsed around him. But she wasn’t finished yet, and scrabbled at him to stand, kissing him hard, slamming them into the wall.

She aggressively tore off his belt and unbuttoned his trousers, shoving her hands down his pants as soon as she was able, stroking him and bringing him out of the fabric’s confines. Bracing her against the wall with her legs wrapped around him. He thrust into her and she was still fluttering a little.

Keeping his face buried in her neck, he pretended her straight brown hair was wild with curls and he pounded away. Her legs squeezed around his waist and she clung on tight around his neck mewling cries dripping from her.

Draco brought a hand between them, the other supporting Hestia on him and thumbed across bud and she screamed again at the renewed sensation.

“Oh, Draco, yes!” she cried as she helplessly quavered around him.

“Keep calling to me,” he said, “Come for me again calling my name.”

“Yes, yes! Draco, oh Merlin’s flaming sword, Draco, YES!” she came again and Draco gave a few more thrusts before he came as well, sliding down the wall until they collapsed on top of one another, resting upon the ground. They panted, bringing their breath back. Hestia’s eyes were glassy and her legs were twitching every so often as her pleasure continued.

“Daphne was right, that was brilliant,” Hestia said to him. “How come we’ve never done this before?”

“We don’t know each other very well,” Draco replied. “And I’m sleeping with your best friend.”

“I guess there’s that, but she’s married, I’m not,” Hestia told him.

“I thought you were engaged though?”

“We broke it off,” she said flippantly. “Can I come here again? Daph says as long as no one falls in love with you, you’re fine with it.”

“Do you think you won’t fall in love with me?” he replied, still catching his breath from earlier.

“I don’t know. You are really hot, like really, really hot, but there’s I don’t know something in me that seems fine with being casual which isn’t normally my jam, if you know what I mean.” Hestia stretched. “Can we go again? Just a couple more like that and I’ll go home, or whatever you want, I swear.”

Those words made him instantly hard again. ‘Whatever you want...’ Granger’s promise breathed across him. I will give it to you, Draco finished in his head, launching himself on top of Hestia again.

* * *

“Bro, chuck me that towel, wouldja?” Hemi asked coworker. Hermione smiled at Hemi as he took the towel and gently placed it under her wrist.

“She still looks pretty mint,” he said to Hermione, turning her arm over and looking at the tattoo. “It’ll be fuckin’ brutal to go over again.”

“Yeah, I know, but it needs re-charming, it’s been six months.” Hermione told him.

“Fuck, six months, babe? Yeah nah, I’ll grab my stuff and we’ll get cracking,” Hemi replied.

“Need anything, bro? I wanna grab a feed before I shoot through,” the coworker asked Hemi.

“Nah, all good, I’ll make tracks after,”

“Mean,” came the reply before leaving the house. Hemi moved around collecting the chisel, stick and ink.

Hermione laughed. “I’d forgotten the Kiwi lingo, it’s so bizarre,” she said. She was lying down, her arm resting on a table by Hemi. She admired his large muscles beneath the T-shirt he was wearing, his skin a glowing cocoa under the light of the desk lamp.

“Nah, you’re just bloody posh, ae,” Hemi told her. Hermione loved the lilting way Hemi spoke as if every sentence was a question. The cadence of it was like a melody rather than speech. “Right, I’ll start her up now, you can’t move, right?”

Hermione nodded. “Pass me one of those coasters, I’ll clamp down on that instead.”

Hemi passed it to her and she placed into her mouth. She was having her tattoo charms re-worked as they needed to every six months or so. The process of chiselling the charms right into her skin was painful, but it meant she was saved the hassle of doing a series of spells every time she slept with somebody. Once she had discovered this method, she thought it was worth temporary pain.

Hemi’s charms were special though, it helped sense intention. In her work it enhanced her perceptiveness and whether someone meant her harm. Hemi had modified it from an ancient Polynesian navigation tattoo charm. Hermione smiled again, impressed by his ingenuity.

Usually, the charms lasted five years or so but Hemi had also worked healing magic into the design which had been slowly stitching the internal tears she had from her time in Uzbekistan. Another two sessions and Hemi thought she would be healed completely.

She closed her eyes as Hemi began work around her wrist, singing in a strong, low voice, the song and ink working in tandem, etching the spell into the tattoo. The art when finished was a series of korus, manaias and infinity twists coalesced together to form a pattern of protection sunk right into her. The theory was that it had a lasting effect but if you decided you wanted to have children you wouldn’t re-perform it. Hermione had no intentions of having kids any time soon, if at all. She wasn’t sure if the damage she had sustained had affected her fertility either. It was something that made her feel confused when she thought about it.

Several hours later, Hemi finished the spelling and gently rubbed a soothing balm over the finished artwork.

“Beautiful as always, thank you, Hemi,” Hermione breathed, admiring it as she lifted her arm up and twisted it over to see the full extent of Hemi’s efforts.

“How’s the pain?” he asked.

“Not so bad this time, actually.”

“You’re a legend, babe,”

“Well, I’d rather be a legend than a myth,” Hermione turned her head to look at Hemi.

He took her face in his large, solid hands and kissed her softly. It quickly accelerated and soon Hermione had Hemi sprawled over the coffee table licking over the surface of his body, riding him languorously as he liked. Her rocking motions became more and more fervent with his laboured breathing and they reached a climax together soon after. Hemi could do so many wonderful things with those gorgeous brown hands of his and Hermione shuddered as the last of her orgasm left her.

“I’ve got to go now,” she breathed into his mouth between kisses.

“Sure, babe,” Hemi replied easily.

With a pop, Hermione was gone, without even properly disengaging herself from him, she Apparated back to her flat in London, the long distance exhausting her having done it twice in a day.

Taking her shoes off, she smiled thinking of Hemi. He was so easy-going about everything, never pushing or demanding anything from her. She liked having him around.

“’Mione!” a bright voice called out from her kitchen. “Where have you been? You smell of the ocean and sex.”

“Gin?” Hermione called out.

“Yeah, it’s me. Harry’s here, too.”

“Hey, ‘Mione,” came Harry’s greeting.

Walking through her living room, Hermione went into the kitchen where Ginny offered her a wine.  
After Hermione had thanked her, Ginny repeated her question. “So, where’d you go?”

“Oh, I went to New Zealand to fix up this,” she brandished her left arm that Hemi had bandaged before kissing her. “I smell as you described because Hemi’s place is on the beach and because we shagged.”

“Ooh, got any pics of this ‘Hemi’?” Gin asked, waggling her eyebrows.

“Somewhere I do, I’ll show you sometime,” she told her friend. Harry was grinning at the interaction, sipping his own drink. “You guys are over here for a purpose I take it?”

“Yeah,” Ginny flopped on the couch and Harry and Hermione joined her. “Harry told me you plan on taking him as your date to Le Roux’s place on Friday.”

“Yeah, is that OK with you?” Hermione asked.

“Yes, but I do have a condition,” Ginny said, her eyes dancing.

“Which is...?” Hermione replied, her friend smirking devilishly at her. They spent the remainder of the night hatching a plan.

* * *

Friday came around and Draco and Theo were already in Le Roux’s party. Draco had refused to dress up as was his custom, preferring his suit and robes. 

They were talking genially amongst themselves and a few other guests. Le Roux had greeted Draco with an arrogant smile on his face as if he had won Felicia away from him. Draco had stared at him back, shaking his hand without giving anything away, remaining stony and aloof until he’d gotten into the party proper.

Terry was posted outside under the Invisibility Cloak to get them out if they needed it, but it was just an added security option, just in case.

They had been there about half an hour and the time was now 9.30pm and as they were getting another drink at the bar, Theo nudged him.

“They’re here,” he said.

Draco looked over and saw Hermione in her Felicia costume with Potter. Potter had on a warrior’s outfit, all dark silk and even had a curved sword strapped to his side charmed so it couldn’t cut anything. Granger had given Harry a wig that was a brown mop of curls and he had brown contacts on. They had hidden his scar and Potter was also wearing a black mask on the upper half of his face to further obscure it.

“Their disguises are of each other,” Theo commented. “That’s so weird.”

Draco had to agree. As Granger had become the girl version of Potter, he’d become the male version of her. It was rather disconcerting.

Potter had gotten through the security fine and Le Roux had drawn Granger close to him, touching her bare midriff and leaning speaking low in her ear. Granger tossed her head haughtily at him and took Harry’s arm with an arrogant set to her spine.

Spotting them, “Felicia” gave Draco a peculiarly dangerous look and headed over.

“She’s outdone herself yet again,” Theo said to him, watching Granger walk over.

Draco nodded his head in assent. She looked incredible. Her hair was pulled into a low ponytail this time, bunched into sections down her back. She was wearing a light blue Arabian outfit. A cropped blue top that had gauzy material for the sleeves and a sweetheart neckline that framed the tops of her breasts beautifully. Her billowing gauzy trousers were see through and she wore a sparkly pair of shorts underneath. The pants were dangerously low and the tops of her hip bones showed at the top of them. She had a light blue headband with a jewel in the centre of it on her head and a gold coin-layered belt around her waist. The entire visual was gorgeous and the way she swayed her hips as she crossed the room had every man double taking to look again.

Meeting them at the bar, she turned her heavy and long lashes to Potter. “Get me a drink, would you?” she said, crossing her arms and jutting out a hip. Potter dutifully did as she bid.

“Malfoy,” she said seductively. “How are you? Haven’t seen you for a few days, lover. I hope I didn’t scare you off too badly.”

“Of course not, Felicia,” Draco replied evenly. “I’ve just been busy with work.”

“At the Ministry,” she said, spitting out the last word as if it was poison. “You could be doing so much more with your resources, it’s a shame you’re so shackled.”

“Being shackled has its advantages as well, my dear,” Draco played out the conversation. “My eyes and ears are continually given work to do.”

“And many more things besides,” Granger said a husky tone to her voice while looking him up and down. Potter came back at that moment and handed her a drink, a mint julep from the smell of it. She drained it down and held it out, shaking it gently to Draco who knew to get it refilled. He stepped toward the bar and got the bartender’s attention.

As he was waiting, Draco heard Granger continue her conversation with Theo. Keeping up the pretence in case of eavesdroppers.

“I’m terribly sorry for my rudeness, I’m Felicia Lestrange, and you are?”

“I’m Theodore Nott.”

“A Nott, how interesting. I wonder how many tugs it takes to make you come undone,” the sultry words glided off her tongue while Theo cleared his throat awkwardly. “And what do you do, Mr Nott?”

“I work at the Ministry as well. With Malfoy in fact,” Theo replied.

“Really? How cosy.” Granger replied, “This is my friend Harlan Coby, he’s based in South Africa right now. Finds England a touch too... liberal, you see.”

“Nice to meet you,” Theo said.

“Pleasure’s mine,” came Potter’s voice, possessive hand on Felicia’s back, eye roving over her. The bartender gave Draco another mint julep and a refill of his own whisky and he returned to the conversation.

“Sorry gentlemen, but if you’ll excuse us, I don’t have long in England and have a few people I would like to meet.”

“Goodbye, Mr. Nott, Draco,” Granger said after taking her drink from Draco as Potter led her away with a hand at the small of her back.

Theo shuddered. “Felicia is very... interesting, isn’t she?” he said to his friend. “Almost as if she should have been a Slytherin. If she’d gone to our school of course.”

“Almost,” Draco agreed. There was something truly unnerving about the way that Granger was able to slip into the persona so easily. The two of them conversed with an older couple who were so pure-blood they had married each other knowing they were cousins. Keeping it in the family indeed.

Draco kept an eye on Potter and Granger as ‘Felicia’ introduced Potter’s character around the party. When they reached Dominick Selwyn, he outright flirted with Felicia, taking her hand and pulling it possessively towards him. Potter led her away with a tight grasp around her and secluded them from everyone else. Theo and Draco had circulated the party so they were always in eye line of the other two.

Heading into the quieter foyer, Potter and Granger dropped their guard a bit and seemed to be having a good time, leaning into each other and sharing jokes. Draco noticed that Le Roux looked over at them about every ten seconds.

Draco was still observing the host of the party when he saw Le Roux’s eyes bug out. He looked over to Granger and she was dancing to the Moroccan music. Her hands twirled into complicated shapes and her hips undulated slowly, making her back glint in the smoky candlelight of the room.

Granger was edging backwards away from Potter, Draco could almost imagine the playful smirk that would have been on her face.

There was a sudden smash of glass as Potter dropped his drink all over the floor and within two strides he had Granger in his arms and was kissing her fiercely on the lips.

“Woah,” Theo said from beside him. “That looks real. That looks really real, doesn’t it?”

“Mm, it does,” was all Draco could get out. While he was no longer jealous of Granger’s various partners, he was definitely insecure when it came to Potter. Their relationship still didn’t quite match up in his eyes and here was more proof to him that there was more than brother/sister affection between them.

Draco looked over at Le Roux again and the man looked livid, but he didn’t move either. It would have been odd to when the entire party’s atmosphere was similarly hedonistic, couples and groups making out and touching all over the place.

Looking back Draco saw Potter crash Granger into a wall grabbing her coin belt and aggressively ripping it off her, throwing it on the floor behind them. Granger grabbed Potter by the front of his costume and pulled him with her a few paces, heading for the door they knew held Le Roux’s business meetings. She opened it and pushed Potter inside slamming the door behind them.

Theo looked at Draco with wide eyes. “Think Ginny signed off on this?” he asked.

“Not sure, she’s not meant to know anything,” Draco replied. He was still a little confused about the behaviour. They had discussed that Granger and Potter would slip away to plant the second bug, but that wasn’t slipping, it was more like announcing that they would be occupied for a while.

Draco watched as Le Roux prowled around the party, glancing surreptitiously at the office Potter and Granger had gone into. Draco just chatted with Theo and continued drinking whisky. 

Eventually Le Roux couldn’t seem to take it anymore and went into the foyer, seemingly on his way to the bathrooms, but when he passed by the office door, he paused and his hands clenched into fists. He passed on though and stayed away for half an hour at which time Granger and Potter came out of the office, stumbling backwards and kissing, trying to rearrange their clothing back to their original states. This was difficult since one of Granger’s trouser legs was ripped to shreds down the front showing a glowing expanse of toned leg and gold sequinned shorts at the top.

“Do you think they really...” Theo’s question drifted off and he shook his head as if to dislodge the thought from his mind.

The couple smiled at each other and headed over to Draco and Theo again where Dominick Selwyn was talking to them. Or had been until he saw Felicia again, pausing mid-sentence as he took in her dishevelled look, a hunger in his eyes.

Reaching them, Granger turned to Potter. “Darling, mind if I steal Draco for a bit? I’m sure you can chat to Mr. Nott for a while, can’t you?” Granger smouldered at Potter.

“Of course, my Felicia,” Potter replied, sending her a grin. He immediately turned to Theo and walked him away beginning a low discussion about something.

Giving Selwyn a dangerous smile that made the man turn away to the bar, Felicia sidled between them to Draco.

“Cousin?” Granger-cum-Felicia said to Draco, proffering her arm.

“We are hardly cousins, Felicia dearest,” he said. “We are not even related by blood.”

“And thank goodness for that, lover, how awkward it would be otherwise.”

They eased around the room exchanging pleasantries and smiles with those they knew.

“Le Roux is still out, right?” Granger hissed through her smile.

“Yes, he paused outside the door briefly and then went out of sight. He’s been gone ever since.” Draco muttered back.

“Harlan and I heard an interesting rumour that has changed our plans slightly. The two of us need to stick together and keep moving until Le Roux comes back.”

“Why me and not _Harlan_?” Draco intoned to her.

“Because Le Roux knows you’re no threat and I need that right now.”

“Oh, fucking brilliant.”

“Shh, here he comes.” Granger said quickly as she turned her smile on someone behind him. “Monsieur Le Roux, you know I’ve been circulating these last few minutes with Draco seeking you.”

“Is that right?” the cold response came back from the other gentleman.

“Yes. I’ve managed to procure the funds you wanted,” she whispered conspiratorially. “I left them in the office by the stairs. I hope you realise the magnitude of my benevolence that I would go to such lengths,” she looked away and placed a sneer on her face. “I dearly hope you are worth my sacrifices, monsieur.”

Le Roux’s face melted at her words. She was playing it like the entire situation had been done in service of him and he was lapping it up.

“That does help out my cause immensely, my dear lady. Your charitable nature will be rewarded with this I hope, I have a proposition for you, my dear.”

“Oh?” Granger turned a slightly inquisitorial face to the man. Draco was stunned how quickly she had turned his anger into adoration by a few simple sentences. He would have to be extra vigilant of her manipulations in future.

“I will be detained by some business in France next Thursday and Friday. I was hoping you might be able to join me for the excursion, perhaps we could make a weekend of it?” Le Roux said, taking one of her hands and caressing it gently.

“We’d love to,” Granger implored, sending Le Roux a beautiful smile and gripping Draco’s elbow slightly tighter.

“We?” Le Roux queried, looking from her to Draco. “My dear lady, I did not mean-“

Granger pouted and sent him a look that was simultaneously hard and unforgiving as well as showing a slight vulnerability. It was impossible to resist.

“I’m sure you are aware, monsieur, that I am not someone who can stand being idle and I never appreciate having to _wait_ for someone else, it simply is not in my nature.” She threw the word wait out there like it was a parasite she wished to eradicate. “If my cousin accompanied me, then I would at least have a friend to occupy my time while you attended to your business. As well you know, my cousin and I already decided there is nothing but the bonds of family between us, aren’t I right, Draco darling?”

Draco looked down at the witch. This was masterful. She had stroked Le Roux’s ego and ensured that she had a team member as back-up for this new development all while emphasising that Malfoy and her had nothing between them. “My cousin is quite right,” he said in response. “We are incapable of meeting each other as anything but family now.” Draco gave the man a jealous look and heightened his colour to make it look as if he was bristling under the superiority of the older man.

This seemed to be the correct way to go about things. Le Roux smiled satisfactorily with a glint in his eye to show he knew he had bested Draco for Felicia’s affections. They held eye contact for a moment, but Draco looked away first, further signifying Le Roux’s place in the alpha male hierarchy.

“Of course, your cousin may come, my dear. I apologise for not thinking about your comfort,” Le Roux said, returning his attention to Granger. “Your every whim is mine to satisfy,” he placed a kiss upon her palm. 

“I look forward to seeing you then, monsieur,” Granger purred, taking her hand away from his. “I will retire to the Manor now, I feel decidedly aggravated at being less than perfectly presentable in your presence.” She gestured down at her torn trouser leg with a curl to her lip. “Good night,” she stepped forward and placed a kiss on his cheek and whispered something in Le Roux’s ear that had the man’s eyes glinting in desire for her.

He leaned in himself to place his lips to her cheek, but his eyes met Draco’s as he said to her, “Good night, my Queen.” Draco pretended to be angry at that display.

“Felicia, I’ll take you back to the Manor, I have some things to pick up there tonight,” Draco said, reengaging her arm in his elbow.

Granger sent one last cryptic smile to Le Roux and left with him. They did not speak until they had collected their items from the cloakroom and had Apparated to the rendezvous point.

When they arrived there, Harry and Theo were talking to Ginny who was leaning on a building.

Draco felt Granger push past him and he thought she was going straight to Potter, but she by passed him and slammed Ginny harder into the brick wall, protecting the girl’s head with a hand to the back of it. She kissed her deeply and with astounding passion. Ginny reciprocated and wrapped her arms around her best friend.

Theo was looking shocked and Draco was unsure what was going on as well, but Harry didn’t seem perturbed, he was just standing there enjoying the view instead. There was a pop and Terry appeared beside Draco.

“What the-?” he said at the sight of the women kissing. He looked to Draco for clarification who shrugged in response.

“Don’t know either, sorry.” The spectacle went on for a couple of minutes and Draco felt his lust rising again by seeing Granger so clearly impassioned in her ravishing of the red-haired witch.

She broke away from Ginny and looked to Potter. “That was about it right?”

“Yeah, roundabout,” Potter agreed.

“Oh, that’s all right then,” Ginny said, grinning. Her lips were swollen with the intensity of the kiss and she was still trapped between Granger’s arms.

“I repeat myself, what the-?” Terry said, gesturing to the women who had removed themselves from the wall and were now casually standing next to each other.

“It was my rule,” Ginny explained. “When Harry told me that ‘Mione was going to be taking him as her date to the party, I told them they could go wild, but anything they did had to be done to me as well,” she grinned wildly. “It worked out rather splendidly. I quite like myself a Girl Harry,” she sent a cheeky wink to Hermione who laughed.

“You’re mental,” Terry sputtered at her.

“I thought Harry and Hermione were only going to do some light touching and maybe a peck or two,” Theo said. “Why did you change that plan? Knocked me for a fucking six, I can tell you.”

“Is this the France thing again?” Draco said, looking to Granger.

She nodded. “Yes, while Harry and I were circling the party, we overheard Dominick Selwyn. We’d heard the tail end of his conversation to Le Roux saying that the French unit was having some problems in distribution and Le Roux said he would go later next week to fix it up.

“Harry and I decided we needed to make Le Roux jealous and have him begging Felicia to join him, away from everyone in England for a few days. And it worked, Malfoy and I will be going over on Thursday.”

“How does it work if Malfoy goes, too?” asked Theo.

“Hermione manipulated it so that Le Roux would look like a major arse and piss her off if he didn’t allow Malfoy to accompany her,” Terry said. “I heard it all through the mirror.” The call mirror had been charmed to look through Hermione’s headband diadem tonight. It had taken her some long nights to obscure the mirror on her end. She had used the Muggle invention of one-way glass as the basis for it.

Hermione sent Terry her dorky finger-guns again. Draco snorted at her.

“Why are you all torn though?” Theo asked. “Draco and I thought you’d done the nasty in that room the way you were all dishevelled when you came out.”

Ginny barked out a laugh. They all turned to look at her. “Sorry, but ew.” Harry and Hermione grinned, laughing with her.

“Yeah, that was weird to hear through the mirror I have to say,” Terry said.

“What was?” Draco asked.

“Well, they stopped kissing when they got into the room and Harry waited a bit and then started banging rhythmically on the door to, you know, indicate they were having sex. Hermione went around and hid the second bug and activated it and then they sat on the floor and started making their own clothes look all mussed up and they couldn’t stop laughing. They were struggling to hold it in,” Terry explained.

“Why were they laughing?” Theo replied, confused.

“Well, they er-“ Terry stuttered.

“We had a Moan-Off,” Granger said. Harry was sniggering and she sent him a laughing smile.

“What the hell is a Moan-Off?” Theo responded.

“You know, when you imitate sex noises in increasingly loud and ridiculous ways until one of you breaks and gets embarrassed or laughs. Like ‘Oh,’ ‘Ohhh’, ‘OHHHHH!’ ” Ginny demonstrated.

“Ginny was always particularly good at it,” Hermione said, smiling at her friend.

The other three were looking at them with weird expressions.

“Was this just a Gryffindor thing?” Hermione asked to which Terry emphatically nodded and Theo and Draco shrugged.

“In Slytherin we didn’t need to pretend,” Draco smirked at them earning a mischievous grin from Granger her eyes fixing him with an _I’m sure you didn’t, Malfoy_ stare.

“Well, anyway, that’s what we did,” Hermione said.

“We should get information coming through from the bug from tomorrow when the room is being used for its intended purpose and not as a site for trysts. See you all on Monday, I think we’ve earned a weekend off,” Potter said to them all.

Draco noticed that Hermione had folded her arms and had crossed her two middle fingers over each other to form a ‘W’ on her arm and sent him a covert glance before undoing the secret message and scratching her arm. It had taken about a second to do all this. She knew that he would look at her now that the evening was winding down. Crafty witch.

Looks like he was heading to her place for a whisky...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you are all having a wonderful week!
> 
> Thank you for sticking with this story. I hope to keep uploading next week but with holiday season upon us, I may be a bit late.


	18. Chapter 18

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hermione and Draco have a fluffy little time after the Le Roux party.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am very sorry for the late update. The holidays have been far busier than I anticipated so thank you for your patience!

When Malfoy appeared in her Floo grate she was in the kitchen fixing them a drink.

“What’s my new passcode?” he'd kept his voice low enough that she would hear it but not distinctly. 

She walked to stand a few feet away from where he was stuck until he figured it out. She just raised an eyebrow at him and wiggled his drink.

He stared at her for a second taking in her state of dress. She had taken the ruined gauzy trousers off leaving just the cropped blue top and the gold sequinned shorts. Regaining cognitive thought, he nodded in understanding. “Whatever I want, you will give it to me,” he said into the electronic pad which beeped his entry, unsticking him from the floor.

“Very good, Malfoy,” she told him, handing over his beverage and flopping onto the couch. She lay across it sideways facing him, raising her legs to rest on the top of the cushioned back support, her legs long in front of her.

Eyes following her form, Malfoy drank her in just as she’d wanted him to. She stared at him as he sat on what had become ‘his’ couch. Raising her head to be able to take a drink, she let her head fall back as she closed her eyes and rolled the whisky around her mouth. She ran a hand through her unbound hair, now back in its original brown curling waterfall.

“You should probably stop that if you don’t want me on top of you,” his eyes dark as he sipped the beverage she had given him.

“Why? Are you moved, Malfoy?” she purred at him, opening her eyes.

A growl sunk low in his throat. “Granger, my restraint is being severely tested right now. If you don’t move in five seconds I’m coming over there.”

“Ooh, testy,” she replied, grinning at him, but she complied and sat back up, bending her knees to her chest and crossing her ankles.

“Now you look almost naked,” Malfoy said, rubbing a frustrated hand through his silky blonde tresses. “What’s with the outfit anyway?”

“Well, I was getting undressed and decided I liked how this looked. I remind myself of a gogo dancer from a sexploitation film. You know, Faster, Pussycat, Kill! Kill! Meow,” she curled her hands and made a pawing motion in the air.

“What’s a gogo dancer?” Malfoy said, raising an amused eyebrow at her antics.

“Want me to show you?” she replied, standing up and putting on a classic burlesque song filled with lots of gutsy brass instruments. She only got through half a hip wiggle before Malfoy was waving her away to her bedroom.

“Stop, Granger, you’re making it worse, go put some clothes on, preferably something floor length covering everything.”

“Oh, Malfoy, you’re no fun,” she teased but she went upstairs. She craftily took out an emerald green floor length velvet ballgown. It had a mock turtleneck and the sleeves went right to her wrists. The train trailed a foot behind her, and it did cover everything. It still looked absolutely amazing on, hugging her in all the right ways and tantalising any observer into wanting to touch the soft fabric and feel the curves housed within it. She guessed it would come off only a little slower than her previous outfit.

She walked downstairs again and Draco’s mouth opened before he quickly shut it.

“You can’t say anything about this one, it matches all your specifications perfectly,” she turned in a slow circle making sure to accentuate everything he had deemed be clothed.

“You are too dangerous for your own good, Granger,” he growled at her, but he let her sit back down, though he did throw a blanket on her as soon as she’d done so. She put it around herself as a compromise.

A silence came between them. Hermione played with the satin edge of the blanket looking at it run between her fingers. A shift in mood had overtaken her rather suddenly. She’d wanted Draco to come to hers, but she didn’t really know why. She just wanted to spend some time with him and the butterflies in her stomach were making her act a little nutty to try and alleviate them. She felt slightly embarrassed that he knew how she felt as well, the thought making her shift uncomfortably.

Wow, the satin felt good running through her fingers. She blinked at the odd, unbidden thought and her sudden urge to rub it over her cheek.

“Granger, what am I doing here?” Malfoy brought her out of her reverie.

She smiled, still not looking at him. Her stomach clenched with his words, that bubble of feelings rising in her chest. She was feeling distinctively strange now. “I just wanted to see you. As me, not as Felicia or my work-self,” she admitted, allowing the truth to pour forth rather than thinking too hard about it.

The butterflies were in full force now. A real blush cresting across her face and she still couldn’t look at him. It had been a while since she felt so out of sorts and she liked the unpredictability of it.

Draco had been mulling over her answer, but he eventually spoke, seeming to have noticed a change in her. “You want to go look at the stars? It seems to calm you down.”

Hermione jerked her head up at that. He was staring at her levelly, sipping his whisky. He seemed completely at ease now that the tables had turned, now she was the one reining in her feelings.

He got up and crossed to her, sweeping a hand in the direction of the French doors. She took the signal up and followed his direction. The night was clear and a little cool. Draco summoned the whisky bottle over and topped up their glasses.

Hermione looked at the twinkling lights above her. They did calm her down and they seemed to send her a message, a whisper from miles away. They stayed outside looking up above and out to the city for a while, neither of them saying anything. Hermione was afraid of what she would say if she opened her mouth. They had been outside for a bit of time now but she had been entranced by the view and the prickling feeling of being near him. She saw him shiver in the cool night air.

Turning to Draco she decided to take him up on the hint. “You want to get in the water? It will be warmer,” she ended a little hesitantly. She didn’t know why she was being shy; it wasn’t like her normally and she frowned at herself while looking out at the city.

“Sure,” he told her. He moved behind her making her breath catch as his hands reached for the invisible zip at her back. He leaned into her ear, tickling it with his words, “I did want to have an excuse to touch this dress,” he said softly, and a shiver raced down her spine. His fingers worked the zip down slowly, his other hand trailing down her side, brushing his fingers across the velvet luxuriantly.

The zip ended at her tailbone and Draco pushed the fabric off her arms careful not to touch her skin. They both knew that if they touched now, they wouldn’t be able to stop. Hermione was desperate for his fingers to stroke her, but she was cautious about what that would mean. She wasn’t quite ready to go that far.

It seemed like Draco didn’t want to either since he restrained himself very well. As the sleeves left her arms, prickling with goosebumps from the cold, he only needed to very gently push the fabric at her hips for it to pool at her feet.

She was left in her black satin strapless bra and matching knickers. Hermione got in the water, revelling in the warmth and silky feeling of it against her skin. She sat back and he handed her a glass of whisky which she gratefully sipped, letting the fire of it burn her throat. She watched as he removed his own clothing, apart from his boxer-brief underwear. 

Something quaked in her as she took in his pale skin marked by light scars that she wanted to run her hands all over. She knew she was staring and probably had no disguise masking how affected she was by the sight of him. She found herself biting her bottom lip, the cushioned flesh running slowly between her teeth.

He took a step closer and her breath hitched, she felt almost too hot in the tub now. He took his own glass and climbed in beside her, careful again to not touch her.

Deciding he was entirely too much, she leaned her head against the lip of the spa and gazed up at the stars. There were a few clouds out tonight, but the pinpricks were still there, twinkling through, grounding her.

She turned her head to the side to look at Draco. He was sipping his own whisky and observing the lights and sounds of the city.

“Bubbles on or off?” she asked.

“Off, I want to hear your silence,” he was gauging her, like something was not quite right and he was figuring it out.

She turned back to look up at the stars again.

“You’re nervous,” his words were soft and barely there.

“Yes,” she answered, in a voice hardly louder than a whisper.

“It’s odd, I’ve never seen you nervous before. Why now?”

Hermione paused, thinking it through. She licked her dry lips in preparation. “I guess I’m nervous because you know how I feel, that’s a scary thing.”

Draco shifted a little. “Do you want me to repay the favour?” He clearly did not want to and the thought of him doing so made her even more nervous.

“No,” she said quickly, causing him to turn and look at her, puzzled. “I’m not ready for whatever it would be.” She took a bigger drink and realised she’d finished her glass, she reached for the bottle to top up.

Draco finished his as well, holding the crystal out to be filled.

“I’m not sure if I was ready to see everything from you either,” he admitted, sighing.

“You still did though, you flicked through every thought of mine that was of you.”

“Everything since you came back,” he amended. “You called me a fuckboy.”

Hermione giggled. “Yes, when I was still pretending to be the slightly prudish Hermione from school.”

“You thought it was true at the time, but you didn’t judge me for it. You changed your mind though,” he mulled over his thoughts with more whisky. Hermione thought she knew what was coming next.

“Tell me about the incubus thing.”

Hermione sighed. She hadn’t wanted to bring it up until she’d done more research, but hadn’t had time while planning the Le Roux schemes. “It’s just a theory, not sure if it’s real or anything.”

“Still, I want to know.”

“I just thought it was odd that you always slept with new people even though you could call up Pansy at anytime. You also didn’t seem to desire doing it, like it’s a compulsion instead.”

Draco was thinking it over in his mind. He nodded at her before she continued. “You never have any complications from your trysts either. No screaming or crying or stalking. No girl has turned up at the office demanding to see you all angry and hurt. Don’t you find that odd?”

Draco drew his eyebrows together. “I never properly thought about it to be honest. When you say it out loud, something does seem a little off.”

“When I seduced you that day in the office, I breathed you in with my aura training and there is this dark, throbbing mantra that seems to run at the core of you. I could hear it whispering to me.”

Draco turned to look at her now, fascinated. He obviously had only gleaned the incubus theory when he’d looked through her thoughts and not much else.

“What does it tell you?” he asked.

“Just once. You want this. Just once,” Hermione told him, locking her eyes on his. There was a beat where neither of them did anything but look at each other. The creeping tension sprung tautly with a jolt. Hermione’s insides quivered.

“And that’s why I never have any trouble with who I sleep with?” he mused, breaking the moment. “What about that time at the pub with Daphne though, and Pansy argues with me sometimes.”

“Those are people you’ve slept with more than once. I take it you initiated the repeat performances?”

He nodded his assent.

“That might override the compulsion, you probably subconsciously turn it off for girlfriends.”

“They aren’t my girlfriends,” he clarified.

“But they are as close as you come,” Hermione commented.

“What does that mean for me though? I’m part incubus?”

“I think you got a recessive gene. Most likely awakened when you hit sexual maturity. I haven’t been able to research it much unfortunately.”

“I do sometimes wonder why I go out and have sex with strangers when afterwards I don’t feel like it accomplished anything.”

“Probably because you don’t actively feed from others,” Hermione explained.

“What? I could do that? I could hurt people with this?” Draco's eyes widened, slightly alarmed.

“If you learned how, you probably could. I was a little worried about telling you this because your body might try to figure it out on its own and wouldn’t know how to control it.”

Draco looked deep in thought. “In school I did a bit of research on them for an essay. No one knows how incubi come about, they are very rare. But they have to have consent to take from their partner. They often trick it out of their victims, saying things like, ‘Give yourself to me,’ which people take as dirty talk.”

“That makes sense,” Hermione mused.

“Incubi and succubi can learn control, only evil ones kill their victims, most just take sips of a person’s life force making them exhausted for a few days,” Draco continued.

“That’s good to hear,” she had assumed the worst, but it seemed, like vampires, incubi could show restraint. “Sorry,” she added.

“What for?” he queried.

“I wanted to bring it up when I knew more. It can’t be fun discovering you’re not entirely the person you thought you were.”

Draco actually smiled at her. “It’s a relief to be honest. There are things now that make a lot more sense to me.”

“Like Celestina Warbeck?’ Hermione grinned.

Draco laughed freely, “Yes, exactly.”

It was the first time Hermione had seen him truly laugh out loud like that. He was completely relaxed in her presence, not guarded anymore. Her heart flip-flopped in her chest and she flinched.

“What is it?” Draco asked, noticing her reaction.

Hermione inhaled deeply. “I’m really, really nervous now.”

“Why? Because of the incubus stuff?”

She shook her head emphatically, “No.”

“Then what?” Draco turned to face her full on. He had been very careful not to touch her all night and she desperately wanted him to, but she knew that once she started…

“I really wanted to kiss you, but-“ she halted, drawing in another breath. “But I want to _only_ kiss you.” His face was illuminated from below by the lights in the hot tub and she saw that he wasn’t disappointed and was waiting patiently for the explanation he knew she’d have.

“We really haven’t done very much together, but I feel like there’s this expectation of sex if anything physical happens. Not just with you,” she hastened to add. “Just with people in general. I’m also nervous because if I start kissing you, my resolve will probably fly out the window and I’ll screw everything up.”

She had dropped her gaze to the water as she’d said all this. Watching the way it rippled and curved, distorting their forms beneath it. She focused on the odd way her arms felt with the tactile feeling of the water slipping around her like silk. In her heightened state it was exaggerated and very pleasant.

“I hadn’t just kissed anyone since I was fourteen, until you,” Draco told her. “It might be nice.”

Her gaze latched onto his, his grey eyes showing he was serious about that. She dropped her concentration to his lips and licked the corner of her mouth.

“Gods, that is so hot,” Draco said, before grabbing her neck and pulling her to him, their mouths joining. His lips were soft, but the kiss was hard and demanding.

Hermione’s body heated at his touch and as they took each other lips between their own, her head went light with desire, swirling and it felt like her senses were underwater.

She nibbled his bottom lip and he growled at her, the sound reverberating throughout her body, sending a jolt of pleasure down her spine.

Licking her lips, Draco urged her to open up fully, she did so, his tongue entered her mouth with fiery need.

She moaned into it. He was such a good kisser. Massaging her tongue with his own and exploring her mouth as she did his.

As she knew she would, her determination left her with a great big _Fuck it_ in her mind. She pushed him into the corner of the tub and straddled him. Delving even deeper into the kiss and feeling him hard against her abdomen.

Their hands were all over each other, exploring their sides and back, Hermione raked her fingernails across his shoulder blades as she held him close to her. She trailed her hands down but once they hit the edge of his waistband he pulled back.

“Stop, Granger, we aren’t doing that tonight,” he told her, holding her apart from him. His eyes were dark with lust though and Hermione pushed on.

“I changed my mind, I want to. I really want you, Draco,” using his name on him, his arms weakened in their stronghold and she wrapped herself close again, arms around his neck and she leaned into his ear.

“I’ll make you feel so good, better than anyone, you know I can do it,” she spoke with dark promise and she heard his breath stuttering in response. She nipped his ear and began kissing down his neck making him groan with her touch.

“No, Granger. Fuck, that feels good. But, no, we can’t- No.” he pulled her back again, a determined edge to his voice.

“Why not? You know you want to,” she said, eyes black with a need to consume him. But she pulled back, his words a barrier to stop her going further.

“Fuck, yes, I really want to, but you don’t. You do right now, but tomorrow you will regret it. You will not regret me,” he said to her with steel in his voice that was also reflected in his eyes.

“I won’t. I won’t regret it,” she tried to assure him.

“I could leave,” Draco threatened. She could tell he meant it. She wouldn’t be able to dominate him on this issue either. “If you want me to stay here with you tonight, you will ease back. We will kiss, but nothing more.”

The command in his voice made her still. Normally she was the dominant one. She often found submission to be frightening, but with Draco it was coming out of a place of respect and she found she liked it. She liked it a lot.

“OK,” Just that admission to his will caused a thrill in her. She visibly shook.

“Why are you shaking?” Draco asked her.

“Normally I hate being submissive, but right now it’s really turning me on,” she replied honestly.

Draco eyes fluttered. “Gods, woman, you’re not making this easier.”

“I wouldn’t want to,” she replied with a shrug.

“How am I being the restrained one right now?” Draco asked, rhetorically. He took a long inhalation of breath to steady himself. He lifted Hermione up easily and deposited her beside him again.

“At least you’re not nervous anymore,” he continued.

“I’m never nervous when I know what I want,” her eyes expressing exactly what she meant by that statement. She didn’t move closer though, still respecting the boundary he had set up. His hesitation from it showed he was close to folding and he leaned in, but he regained his strength and veered away from her.

“Bloody hell, Granger, I’ve been relying on you for this, it’s really hard trying to stop.”

“I gave up, you should, too,” making it clear it was his choice.

“No, you more than deserve some frustration after what you’ve put me through already,” he grinned at her.

She pouted and he laughed again. “How about we just talk for a while. We can stimulate our brains instead and maybe get back to the kissing later.”

“I suppose I could deal with that,” Hermione grumped, annoyed her plans had been thwarted.

“So, what’s it like having someone suck your feet?” Draco asked her as a distraction.

Hermione scrunched up her face. “It’s weird, I had to take a book with me to get through it.”

“Would you really have made Le Roux lick a to waste bin clean?” Draco was amused, smiling at her facial expressions.

“Oh, absolutely. If he makes Felicia angry, that’s the first thing she would do to him. Or maybe a bathroom floor. He gets off on humiliation and there aren’t many things more humiliating than that.”

“Have you done much hardcore domination before?”

“A few times, but mostly mild scenes just tying up my partner, ordering them around, slight amounts of pain. One of my former lovers wanted me to stick pins in him. That made me feel sick though so I couldn’t.”

“What about it made you feel sick? The blood or the doing the actual hurting?”

“All that was fine,” she was distracted now but her own blood was rushing. A spike lanced through her that maybe something really wasn’t quite right with her tonight. She pushed the thought away and answered. “It was when I’d stuck him with a safety pin and every time it moved, he would hiss in pain before the pleasure came. I prefer it when the two come together, having the delayed reaction made me feel sadistic.”

“I can see how you would find that. I’ve only slept with someone once that was really into BDSM. Got me to tie her up against a metal slab and wanted me to punish her. I wasn’t really into it. I think she was more into fear than pain.”

Hermione shuddered. “I hate being afraid.”

“Is that why you are hardly scared of anything then?” Draco asked her.

“Yes, if I feel that rising panic, I run through every bad thing that could happen and often decide that aside from dying, none of them are that bad.”

“Is that how you got through Uzbekistan?”

“Yes, that and meditation. You really clocked out on me after that story.”

“It’s what I do when I don’t want to have to deal with something. It’s what I did in sixth year when everything was getting too much and also when Bella was torturing you at my house. When my parents died... I eventually come out of it and it’s not so bad anymore.”

Hermione nodded. “I understand that. I get all cerebral, Harry gets panicked and angry, Theo works through things logically and Terry... I think he just pushes it away until it doesn’t bother him anymore. I actually made a charm that might help you out. I performed it on Harry and it worked really well. I might try and imbue it into an amulet or something.”

“That’s another thing, Potter said you’re extremely wealthy now,” Draco looked at her. “He said you could pass yourself as a Malfoy with your riches.”

“Aren’t I already?” Hermione joked, referring to her Felicia character. “After graduating Hogwarts, I started patenting some charms. I found that companies would pay big money to use them for all sorts of things. Any medical ones I give to the St Mungo’s labs to develop for free with the assurance that schools have access to them without having to pay either. For anyone else, they have to buy them. You’re right, it’s a lot of money, but there is a difference between how wealthy you are and how much you’re worth.”

“What do you mean?” Draco asked.

“The money I use every day, actually comes from a cache of reserve funds in Gringotts as ‘just in case’ money. But I think it’s only 500,000 Galleons or so, it will be less now that I gave some of it away to Le Roux.”

“Shouldn’t your fortune be far more than that?” Draco furrowed his brow. “To be within the realm of my illustrious company, I mean,” he added, gracing her with a smirk.

She laughed. “I’m _worth_ that much, but I give most of my earnings away. I still support magical creature rights and many other charities as well. I don’t like people knowing I’m rich, I find it makes them sycophantic around me.”

“What’s your middle name?” Draco asked her suddenly.

“Jean, why?”

“You’re HJG Holdings? Everyone thinks you’re an old recluse without family that is spreading his wealth before he dies,” Draco told her.

“Oh, good. My team did their job then. I still get loads of invitations to your social elite parties, I couldn’t think if anything worse than going to them. Being at Le Roux’s is bad enough.”

“You are the biggest contributor to the orphanage at the Manor, after myself of course,” he seemed rather thrown by the news.

“Yes, I know,” Hermione said matter-of-factly. “I send a representative to check on the place quite often. The kids are all really happy there. I wish I could visit when I go to the manor as Felicia but it’s not really in her character to care like that.”

“I don’t go as often as I should,” Draco said, picking up his whisky again from where he’d placed it before kissing Hermione. “You’re incredibly unaffected. The social elite of the wizarding world has had a few additions after the war. Bill and Fleur come to quite a few of the parties. His work at Gringotts has inflated his vaults to deem him socially acceptable now. Most of the new money overdoes it with the snobbery and they act incredibly gauche so you can always tell the difference.”

“I suspect Bill’s presence has a lot more to do with Fleur than him,” Hermione said. “No, I despise the fake attitudes of everyone. Exchanging pleasantries and then immediately turning on the person once they leave. It’s all niceties and placations, everything has a double meaning, and you have to look at what a compliment leaves out, rather than what it says. It’s hideous.”

“It’s easier when you grow up with it, I suppose,” Draco told her. “I don’t go to many of them anymore since I started working for the Ministry. Most people think it beneath a Malfoy to take a job. I only go to the Le Roux ones now.”

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to insult something that has always been a part of your life,” She quirked her mouth uneasily.

Draco shook his head though. “Don’t apologise. You’re right, but there are fun things attached to those parties. The food and drink are good and it’s easy to steal a socialite away for a quick romp after some shared champagne’s,” he winked at her.

Hermione laughed. “Easy pickings for you then. Although I’ve noticed it’s easy pickings anywhere. Women just love you, don’t they?”

“Can you blame them?” Draco said, raising any eyebrow and indicating himself.

“If you don’t want me to jump you, you might want to stop that, I’m a sucker for a confident man,” Hermione teased.

“And apparently I’m enamoured by strange, unpredictable witches that have brains large enough to run circles around me.”

“I like that you appreciate my intellect,” she had looked away again as another surge of feeling rippled through her.

“Most women like being told they are beautiful,” Draco commented.

“Anyone can be beautiful with makeup and charms or potions, not everyone gets to be clever,” her voice was quiet and she fought a blush that threatened to stain her cheeks.

“Harsh, but true,” Draco admitted. He took her hand and held it, surprising her and making her stomach flop. He made her react to even the simplest things and the feelings rose quick and hot, so much like panic, except that they felt good.

She went quiet and lay back trying to calm herself by looking at the stars again. Their fingers entwined and he was running a thumb over the top of hers.

She breathed deeply and tried to pick out the constellations but there were too many clouds to connect them properly. She felt words push from her heart and stick in her throat where she attempted to swallow them down again. They were premature phrases that she worried would scare him off. She needed to do something to stop this. Why was she acting this way?

 _Om Shri Hanumate namaha. Om Shri Hanumate namaha,_ Hermione silently meditated in her head. She had begun to shake by just slightly touching him and she really needed to get a grip. She centred herself and tried to dispel the excess emotions. _Om Shri Hanumate namaha. Om Shri Hanumate namaha, Om Shri Hanumate namaha._ She finally felt like it was working, she’d stopped twitching weirdly at least.

“What are you doing?” Draco asked.

Hermione looked at him.

“You’re sending pulses of magic out,” he picked up their entwined hands and wiggled them at her.

“Oh, Malfoy, I’m sorry. I was meditating, trying to, you know,” she shook a hand in front of herself. “Get myself sorted out.”

Draco drew her closer to him.

“You know, Granger, I don’t think you need to sort yourself out. You might be a little overwhelmed but enjoy yourself, this is what people dream of.”

“What? This hot feeling in my stomach like I’m going to be sick and skin that feels like it wants to melt off and a growing need that nothing will satisfy?” Hermione said, “Why would anyone want to feel this way, it’s very distracting.”

Draco brushed a stray lock of hair behind Hermione’s ear. His voice was gentle, “Because, Granger, everyone wants to fall in love.”

Hermione’s breath caught in her throat and she paused. “I know... but it’s very inconvenient.”

“Very inconvenient that you’re falling in love with me?”

Hermione could only nod. She couldn’t deny what he’d said after he’d been in her head, and him knowing made it so much worse. Draco was looking at her and had cupped her face in his hands. “You can’t say the words?” he asked.

She shook her head, not trusting herself to speak unless her mouth betrayed her.

“That’s OK. It can come later.” He closed in and kissed her again. It was soft now, tender. She yielded herself to him and let him take charge. It was exhilarating and she felt her heart pound against her chest. Oh gods, she really was falling in love with him, wasn’t she? That wasn’t good. When had it even happened?

“Come back to me, Granger. I can hear your brain overworking again.” He filled her mouth and everything sang with pleasure. As she kissed him, she had that bubbling feeling that everything was right, and she thought she would burst with happiness. It wasn’t the generally positive and optimistic feeling she normally had, but a warm tingling feeling that made her want to grin non-stop and burst into laughter.

Hermione made a noise of surprise when he picked her up in his arms and lifted them out of the tub. Placing her on the outside before getting out and picking her up again, carrying her indoors, up her stairs and into her bedroom. Casting a quick drying spell on them, he opened the covers of the bed and placed her on the sheets.

Getting in himself, Hermione began trembling all over again.

Snorting at her, he smiled, “Don’t worry, Granger, nothing else is going to happen tonight. You obviously need to get used to your new feelings.”

She noticed he didn’t say our feelings. He always meant everything he said. It helped to ground her.

“Thank you, I need you to be just like that, emotionally repressed and making fun of me,” she stroked his arm.

“No worries, Granger,” Draco drew her into his chest. “What’s making you lose it so much?” he asked her.

“I don’t really know, it came on all of a sudden. I normally don’t act like this. Especially after India, it made me very good at regulating. It’s as if- ohhhh,“ she gasped working it out. “Well, your theory that they put Polyjuice Potion reverser in drinks is true. Makes sense Le Roux would want to test Felicia.”

“Really?” Malfoy asked. “Is it the effects of it without having anything to react against?”

“Exactly.” Hermione said. “This makes so much sense. How all those people at Le Roux’s parties are able to get frisky out in the open and turn the place into a den of iniquity. I think it started after you arrived, I’ve been acting weird since then. The reverser acts like a more intense version of the Muggle drug ecstasy. Heightened focus and energy, inability to sleep, elevated body temperature and prominent feelings of love and arousal.”

“That all sounds great, Muggles have something like that? They must take it all the time.”

“No, it’s really bad for you in the long-term. Hallucinations, nausea, feeling faint, sweating and chills with a fever on top of everything else. Not exactly all fun and games.” Hermione groaned. “My experience in India must have subconsciously kicked in. Otherwise, I never would have given up on getting with you. You wouldn’t have stood a chance against the fully incapacitated drugged up version.”

Draco chuckled into her hair. “Yeah, dealing with you being insatiable for me would have been terrible, Granger, truly awful.”

“You can joke all you like but the last time I took ecstasy in Australia, just to try, you know… I broke a guy’s penis.”

Draco hissed. “You can do that?”

“Yeah. We went to town on each other and when I was on top I was a little too rough and tore his-“

“Stop, just stop, Granger. Worse than Uzbekistan.” Draco said, sounding like he was experiencing second-hand pain just from imagining it.

Hermione laughed from the dark joke. Now that her brain had engaged what it was dealing with, she had calmed down completely. It was like being shocked sober. She’d stopped shaking and her mind was finally clear. She let the calming techniques she’d learned in India come to the forefront. She didn’t feel like she was in danger of overriding Draco’s resolve anymore and sank herself into him, it was a huge relief.

“It must have been in my last drink I had before Harry and I went into the meeting room. Thank God it didn’t kick in immediately. Harry and I were sharing that drink. Oh!” Hermione burst into laughter. “Ginny will be having the time of her life right now, Harry hasn’t got built-in coping mechanisms like I do. And she’s got to fly tomorrow, I hope they’ve got Restorative Potions at home.”

“Leaving aside Potter and the Ginevra’s marathon sex session, are you calmer now?” Draco seemed slightly amused and his tone was dry.

“Yes, as soon as I figured out what it was everything ebbed away.”

“That’s good. You were really odd before, more than usual, I mean,” Draco said, and Hermione smiled into his chest. “What do you think might have happened in that room if it had kicked in right away?” his words came out easily, but his body was tight with tension.

Hermione bit her lip. She was loathe to lie but what she had to say was something Draco wouldn’t want to hear. He still had insecurities when it came to her and Harry it seemed.

She shifted herself up so her head was parallel with his. Her arms were drawn close to her and she laid her hands on his chest, drawing lazy circles to slightly distract him.

“It would have been bad, all your inhibitions come out in force, you forget about everything outside the person you’re with. I don’t know how far things would have gone or if either of us would have known what we were doing. But it would have ruined everything, I can’t tell you how relieved I am it didn’t happen like that.”

Draco was looking at her but didn’t say anything. She saw that while he hadn’t liked what she said but respected that she’d told the truth.

She kissed him again. He reciprocated immediately, now that she was calmer, she could really focus on how he felt and not just on herself. He was demanding, pushing harder and further than before and she matched him easily. This was possessive, he needed to make her forget about everything else except him. She let him as he pushed her backwards into the mattress. As they licked and sucked at each other, Hermione wrapped her legs around Draco, and ran her hands all over his muscular back.

He pressed his desire into her, and she moaned with imaginings of what could happen without the small amount of clothing they still had on. Moving her hands to tangle in his hair and massage through his scalp he groaned in pleasure making her feel amazing that she could pull this feeling from him.

The dark throbbing was back, the pulsating need from within him to devour new flesh. She resisted its pull, the awareness of what it was enough to keep her from falling into it. Hermione was falling though. Falling further into her feelings, having Draco in her arms and being able to kiss him with abandon sent tingles all over her. She wanted more but could now hold back because she felt too much for him and wanted the timing to be right. For all their conversations and flirting, the spare kisses they had already shared, they hadn’t really done much together physically. This was the first night they had really crossed that boundary properly and she wanted to savour every moment of it.

They kissed for over an hour in her bed, their hands remaining chaste even if their mouths weren’t. Hermione learned that Draco’s earlobes were a particularly sensitive spot for him as well as the join of where his neck met his shoulder. He loved it when she moaned into his mouth and had been surprised by her running her tongue over the roof of it. He always growled at her when she nibbled his bottom lip since it drove him spare and he liked her running her hands down his back with a medium pressure on her fingernails, enough to graze, but not to hurt.

She discovered she loved the way his voice would travel through her when he growled or moaned. The way his fingers would lightly trace her contours but then would grip down hard enough to leave print marks that dissipated quickly. She loved that he’d learned that from his little voyeuristic ventures of her with other men, not just watching but studying them. She loved the way he preferred to place open mouthed kisses on her top lip when she preferred doing so to the bottom. She loved the way he used his teeth to nip the skin at her collarbone, biting down at the join of her neck to mark her. She loved the possessive hold of him around her neck to bring her closer and the way his long eyelashes would brush across her skin.

She also loved that he respected her need to take it slow. Even though they both knew how full of lust the other was, they didn’t go beyond what they were doing. They discovered each other in a way that Hermione had rarely done with other partners.

Lips bruised and swollen from their efforts, Draco pulled back from her and leant his forehead against her own.

“It’s late, Granger, we should sleep,” he said.

“I suppose you’re right,” she said with a sigh. She waved her hand to get her roof charm to materialise and they lay together side by side, watching the stars.

“Why do you love the night so much?” Draco asked her, sleepily, taking her hand and entwining it with his across his chest.

She felt like she was floating, her thoughts bobbing on a lake that was lapping softly on a stony shore. It sent her into an abstract space. She sighed wistfully taking in the stars above.

“When I went away, I pinned my hope on it, hooked it on a star and left it hanging there. With my hope sitting out there I could always find it if I was sad or lonely. And then one day, I looked out there and found your star as well, and even though those two entities live in different galaxies millions of light-years apart, they still co-exist together every night where I can see them. The first star I can see almost anywhere, but I only saw yours when I came back to England. If I leave to the other side of the world, I won’t see it anymore.”

“Good thing Potter forbade you from ever leaving so that doesn’t happen. My star might despair without your gaze recognizing it.”

“But it would still be here shining for many others, and it’s in a cluster, it won’t ever be lonely.”

“And the other one is?”

“Infinitely,” Hermione sighed. “If I hadn’t moved my gaze to look where yours is, it might have been fine, but now it knows it’s alone.”

“I’m sure it is just glad to know someone takes the time to look at it,” Draco soothed, knowing this conversation was about more than just stars, even if he didn’t understand completely what she was talking about.

“It doesn’t know yet, but if it knew I had recognized another star it would be very sad. It would feel betrayed.”

“I’m sure that’s not true,” Draco answered, stroking her hair and turning her into him, away the lights.

“I wish people would stop telling me that,” she whispered.

She moved her arms around Draco and stroked his back until he fell asleep.

She was falling in love with this man and she felt so incredibly guilty.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you are all having a wonderful time. I have a number of events coming up in the next few days and I apologise if I am unable to post on Wednesday but I will try to update as soon as I can.
> 
> Thank you all for reading!


	19. Chapter 19

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone, I'm really trying to stick to my schedule. I hope you enjoy this chapter of more Draco and Hermione fluff.

As per usual, when Draco woke up the next day, Hermione was no longer with him. This time was different. He could tell she wasn’t in the flat at all. There was no breeze from an opened window, no smell of verbena and lavender and that infinitesimal spark of life that always lit a place from her presence wasn’t there. She was gone.

Draco wondered briefly if she’d had another morning visitor, but last time he’d been jerked awake at the sound of another man’s voice. He was sure he would have done that again if that was the case.

Stretching, the white cotton sheets ruffling in conjunction with the movement, he stayed there just to revel at being in her bed.

There was no residual warmth from her side, so he knew she had been gone a while. Folding his arms behind his head, Draco thought about the previous night.

The party at Le Roux’s had been good. Felicia working the crowd, making friends, causing jealousies, flirting, talking, laughing. Hermione was incredible, he’d thought it before, but that night it had been more true than ever.

He still couldn’t believe how she’d managed to wrap Le Roux so completely around her finger. It was the intensity of Granger coming through in Felicia he was sure. Granger had a way of looking at you so in that moment you were the centre of her universe. She was so completely fixated on you that at first it had made him uncomfortable. Then he had come to like that attention. Now he craved it. Once her interest moved on, it felt like the sun had gone behind a cloud when you were basking in it. The heat vanished and a cold prickle set in almost immediately. You then sat in wait, wishing for the sun to come back and warm you up. That was what it was like interacting with Granger.

Le Roux had fallen hard, Draco could tell. Since Granger instinctively knew what Le Roux wanted out of someone, she had given it to him. Class, riches, elegance, elitism, self-assurance, a smear of arrogance and an overwhelming dominance. When she was not directly speaking to Le Roux, she completely ignored him no matter how many entreating looks he sent her way.

Draco could see this drove Le Roux to distraction. He would watch Felicia with hungry eyes, always making sure to position himself while speaking to others so that he could track her through the room.

On Wednesday, when Felicia was leaving, Draco had distinctly heard a note of desperation when Le Roux had called out for her to wait. There was no getting sick of Felicia Lestrange’s company, just as there wasn’t for Hermione Granger.

Having thought that, Draco sighed. Last night spending time with Granger had been very difficult. It was not in his nature to hold back, but he had found himself doing so for her. He had so very nearly broken that resolve when the Polyjuice Potion reverser had properly kicked in and she was asserting very clearly that she wanted to sleep with him. He’d held back, because he liked her. He liked her a whole lot and knew that if he had given in, she would have treated him like a one-night stand, given him coffee in the morning and led him to the Floo to go home.

That hadn’t happened. She had let him be in her house alone without her. He knew that only Potter and Ginny were allowed to do that. And now he had entered their ranks. If she had wanted him to leave, there would have been a note on her pillow.

That being said, he also knew he was free to go. He could go home, she wouldn’t bother him or even mention it at work on Monday. He knew this innately, like he seemed to know everything about her. And yet, she could still surprise him. That dress she had worn last night, the emerald one... that had been incredible. He would never have guessed that something that hid everything could reveal so much. As soon as he’d seen it, he had wanted to run his hands all over the thick fabric, to feel her curves run underneath it.

He’d had to take her outside to feel the cold air to stop himself. When she’d asked him if they should get in the water, his body had quaked inside and it had been difficult to remain stoic. As he’d run the zip down her back, seeing her soft skin revealed slowly, his hands had been shaking. She hadn’t noticed and he had to concentrate on the feeling of the velvet to stop from breaking. Seeing her in her underwear had made him hard instantly. He had exhaled across her shoulder which had made her shiver and he’d clenched his fists to stop from touching her.

The way she had looked at him as he’d undressed had been even worse. Her eyes scanned every inch of his body and she had unconsciously licked her lips like he was a parfait she never wanted to stop eating.

When she had asked if they should turn the jets on, he hadn’t said no for the silence, it had been because any further stimulation would have sent him over the edge. His body had started reacting to the tension between them and he’d been struck with a realisation. _You’re nervous_ , he’d thought to himself. He must have accidentally said it out loud because she had responded. He’d used the distraction to ask her about it to try and calm down.

Her answer had felt almost like a conversation with himself. When she’d confessed that she was nervous about him knowing the extent of her feelings, he knew he was nervous about that, too. Even though he desperately didn’t want to tell her, he’d offered to put them on an equal playing field. She’d surprised him again by letting him know she didn’t want that.

Frowning slightly, he thought back to their conversation about incubi. It was odd knowing he wasn’t entirely human, that he almost had no choice in having to sleep with new people constantly. He wondered if there was any way he could stop that. Even if Granger didn’t think so, he did want to get married and be faithful to his partner. He didn’t want any children he had growing up knowing their father constantly hurt their mother from a compulsive need for new bodies. He wondered if he could go without having sex and decided to have a dry week for maybe the first time since he’d turned seventeen.

Then he got to their kiss. It had been even better than he’d imagined their first equally reciprocated kiss to be. She had latched on and he could feel the rush and need coming from her like she had wanted to do it for a long time. She had escalated it very quickly which had shocked him back into being restrained. Her skilled tongue against his and her full soft lips were near irresistible though and he’d had to have been very forceful in order to get her to stop. As she had prodded and teased him to continue, it had taken everything in him to hang on to his resolve. Seeing her frustration and desperation had amused him just enough to hold off though. It was the payback that he had wanted from so long ago. That combined with the amount of times he had seen her in her memories pleasuring herself and breathing his name were enough to satisfy that urge.

He’d been surprised yet again by her willingness to be take his direction, giving in to his order and sitting passively. From what he had seen, she hadn’t ever submitted. Certainly not with Le Roux and with both the Korean and Aussie guys she had used what they most wanted from her to her advantage, staying in control the entire time.

He wondered about their discussion regarding her wealth. She was very generous, giving most of her earnings away. Draco knew he could never do that. Not that he personally earned anything besides his Ministry salary, but money came in continually through his business ownerships and rent from the land his family owned. For his families’ continued success, they wouldn’t be able to give everything like she did. The Malfoy’s had taken a significant hit after the war and it had required an awful lot of pandering to the Ministry to eventually allow them to stop paying the heavy restitutions. His father had argued from Potter’s own testimony that Draco’s mother had in fact saved the boy’s life with huge risk to her own. After five long-winded appeals in court, they had succeeded in overturning that decision and their status was reclaimed.

Granger didn’t think like that though. He knew that she would expect any children of her own to live comfortably but have to make their own mark on the world. He respected the notion of that. He, himself had set out to do so after his parents’ death to prove that he wasn’t just a layabout rich playboy. It was why he took a respectable contractor job in the Ministry when they had asked him to spy on various dark circles that still matriculated around England.

He remembered afterwards, the thrill of seeing her still so affected by him, even just from picking up her hand. The way she had trembled in his arms and confessed she was falling in love with him. He remembered his chest rising with that bubbling pressure when she didn’t demand anything from him at that time. Not needing her own confession, trusting him to tell her when he could. Their second series of kisses that were gentle but slightly panicked and hesitant from her as the realisation of what she had admitted to flooded through.

Picking her up in his arms to take her upstairs, placing her in the bed, seeing her shiver with a mixture of nerves and desire, his heart had beat so hard for her at that moment, he was afraid she’d realise, tipping them over somewhere they weren’t quite ready for yet.

He thought back on the epiphany that she had partaken of Polyjuice Potion reverser which had made her act so odd. The way she had melted into him once the knowledge sunk in. Her honesty in telling him about Potter. He had known what her answer would be, but needed her in that moment to tell him, reassure him, that it isn’t something she would have wanted.

The third time they had come together, they had been the most amazing part of the night. She had wanted to know him, all of him and they had taken their time learning each other. He had never done that before. Most of his past experiences like that were driven by lust and were usually a means to an end. Having that off the table last night, he was able to sink himself fully into her. To discover more and embed his touch on her skin.

It had been romantic, something he didn’t often indulge in. He found himself wanting more of that, only with Granger though. Even though he very much enjoyed her company, thought she was sexy, gorgeous, fun, it was more than that. He liked himself best when he was with her. He felt relaxed and happy. He was content. He sighed, a lazy smile coasting over him as he closed his eyes, warming in the sunshine coming in the window.

Holding off thinking about their layered conversation regarding stars, he decided to get up. He wandered into her walk-in wardrobe. It had been magically enlarged on the inside and there were rows of see-through cabinets that housed her clothing, shoes, accessories and jewellery with a large four-sided set of drawers in the middle that, when opened, showed her illustrious collection of lingerie. Draco raised an eyebrow, there were more than a few he would have to ask her to model for him at some point.

Heading to the back by the large three-sided mirror, he saw one plexi-glass fronted compartment with menswear in it. There were business shirts, trousers, shoes, jerseys, jackets, a couple of coats, even separate drawers for underwear and accessories like cufflinks and ties. Everything still had tags on them. Checking several pieces, he noticed they were all his size. Although, thinking about it, these could very well fit Potter or her Korean lover, both were around the same build as him.

In a slimmer cabinet meant to showcase items, he saw a folded green cashmere jersey and some expensive dark gray woollen trousers. He opened the cabinet and picked them up. A very soft white cotton T-shirt was tucked in the folds of the jersey and somehow Draco knew these were for him and him alone.

He laid them on her bed and took a shower, using the amenities that she had left out for him yet again, a large fluffy towel going around his waist as he re-entered the bedroom. Pausing for a second, he went back into the wardrobe and grabbed a pair of new underwear. He preferred to do that than _Scourgify_ his own.

Dressing in the clothes, he padded downstairs to make himself a coffee before taking it out onto the balcony. The sky was grey again and the temperature low. A chill wind blew across him and he shivered. It was then he noticed a warmth spreading across his torso emanating from a spot at the centre of his shoulder blades. Placing his coffee on the railing, he pulled the jersey over his head, leaving his arms covered while he examined it.

Then he saw it. A design about five inches long. Little asterisks connected by a line. A constellation. His constellation. He traced a finger over it. For it to be charmed, she had to have used Rumple Stilt’s Gold Skein. It was a magically imbued pure gold thread that was incredibly expensive. Even just this small amount must have cost her thousands of Galleons. The buyer had to thread it themselves for any charms to be placed in it, it could be done by a Gold Skein artist, but the charms wouldn’t be as effective. From what he had felt, Hermione must have wand-threaded it herself.

He hadn’t received a gift like this in a long time, with such thought and meaning and effort put into it. He knew Gold Skein was difficult to procure and even more difficult to wield. This was a very special item.

“I see you found your birthday present,” a voice behind him said.

He turned and found Granger standing in the living room with a brown bag of food in her hands.

She put the bag on the kitchen counter and walked over to him. “Is it too much? I was kind of hoping you wouldn’t know exactly what it was, but judging from your face, it seems like you do.”

Draco still couldn’t speak; he was at a loss for words. Hermione ran her thumb next to his finger, going over the design as well. “I’m sorry that I made you uncomfortable,” she said quietly.

“No, I’m not uncomfortable, it’s just-“ he paused. “How did you know it was my birthday soon?”

“You used to be awfully loud about it in school. I’m good at noticing things,” she replied, meeting his eyes which were wide with puzzlement. “I overdid it, huh?” she smiled bashfully and shrugged as if it was OK. She started sliding it off him, but Draco pulled away from her.

“I’d like to keep it, if that’s alright?” he asked her. He felt off-kilter. He never imagined that she would remember his birthday. He pulled the jersey back on even though he now felt hot. The jersey cooled against him, evening him out. He hadn’t celebrated his birthday since his parents had died. People don’t seem to remember birthdays much without prompting, he was no different in that department, but he’d never reminded anyone, preferring not to make a fuss about it like he used to. In the last two years only Andromeda had asked when it was, but he’d told her he would let her know closer to the time. Though Theo always remembered.

He couldn’t let Hermione know any of this, of course. It was too excruciating.

“Sure, you can have it if you want,” Hermione sing-songed. “But this means I’ll just have to get you something else for the actual day! It’s on Tuesday, right?”

“Please, uh, please don’t do that,” he said, haltingly.

Hermione stilled, at his statement, knowing his inarticulation meant he was struggling with something. “Let me look at you,” she said, grabbing his arm. She looked into his eyes for a couple of seconds which felt like an eternity to him. “Oh,” she said quietly, casting her gaze down again.

He knew then that she had seen why. He couldn’t understand how she was so perceptive or see so much of him, but he begged her in his mind not to say anything. She hadn’t breached his mental walls or anything, she just seemed to know.

Tugging on his arm since her hand was still resting there, she said brightly, “Come on! I got us some amazing waffles from this place I know.”

He resisted her pulling and she turned to look back at him, cocking her head questioningly. A smile graced her features and she looked lovely. Just then, the sun shone out from behind a cloud, illuminating them in the mid-morning glow.

Taking it as a sign, Draco jerked her to him and kissed her gently. Cupping her face and running a thumb over the curve of her cheek. She reciprocated with a pleased giggle that made him feel like he would burst with the sweetness of the sound.

“Thank you,” he said against her lips, “For the present.”

“My pleasure, evidently,” she joked, referencing the kiss. “Now, come on! The whipped cream will be melting.”

He let her drag him inside this time, and they settled at her small dining table to eat. The waffles had bacon, cream and strawberries on them. Hermione had also brought out a drizzling chocolate sauce and maple syrup both of which she applied liberally to her meal.

Draco took a bite and they were delicious, he smiled down at the plate. His awkwardness had passed and he could see Hermione dancing in her seat in pleasure, kicking her bare feet under the table, brushing his legs occasionally. She looked so happy and sweetly ridiculous he couldn’t help but laugh. She caught his eye and laughed too, the sound tinkling around her flat like wind chimes.

“Where did you get these?” Draco asked her.

“It’s from a place in Indiana.”

“Indiana, as in America?” he replied, stunned. She had gone to America just to get these for them?  
“Yes, I had a craving for them after visiting Harry and Ginny this morning.”

“Is that where you went?”

“Mm, I took over some of my own potions for Ginny, they work specifically for women, you see,” she grinned with her fork in her mouth. “She definitely needed them. Her hair was a complete disaster! I can only imagine how the rest of her body was doing. I explained to them why Harry went berserk on her last night and left them to their day. Then Indiana, then back here.”

Draco nodded. Of course, Hermione would have done that, she was a conscientious friend. Most of the restorative potions worked to renew energy for the consumer and ‘spirit’ for a man, but Draco didn’t know they didn’t fully alleviate the stiffness from a women’s body. Not really wanting to discuss Potter’s sex life further, he was glad when she changed the subject.

“So, we’re going to be in France together next week,” Hermione said with a bite that looked about 90% sauce and syrup.

“With Le Roux,” he reminded her to which she nodded.

“Is it going to be hard for you? I’ll have to be with him when he’s around,” she scuffed the tiles in the kitchen, waiting for his answer.

“It’s all part of the ruse, it’s not like you actually care about him or anything,” Draco told her.

She paused.

“What is it?” Draco asked.

“Well, not me. But Felicia does care, she likes him.”

“But Felicia is you,” Draco said. Was Hermione attracted to Le Roux? He’d been sure it was all an act, but perhaps she was so convincing because there were genuine feelings attached behind it.

“It’s hard to explain,” Hermione said.

“Well, try,” Draco prompted her, he looked at her carefully, studying her.

“When I’m me, like right now, I never even think about Le Roux unless I’m planning up another scheme for him.”

“There’s a ‘but’ coming along somewhere around now, isn’t there?” he said, it was laced with humour but there was a kick of sourness that he regretted.

Hermione glanced at him from the side, but continued to focus by scuffing her foot on the kitchen floor. “But, Felicia is everything he wants in a woman, and part of that is feeling something back for him. When I’m her, I do like him. I have to. Do you kind of understand that?”

She had raised her head and was looking at him, almost pleading. He softened a bit. “What about when you’re you?”

She coloured with a blush. “When I’m me, you know how I feel and where it’s directed.”

He took one of her hands where they were braced against the counter and drew her over to him slowly.

“It’s here, right?” he asked, placing her hand around the back of the jersey, over the gold constellation she had sewn there.

“Gold star for you, Malfoy!” she laughed at her own bad joke while Draco groaned. The tension had diffused though, and Hermione placed a kiss on his jaw line.

She drew away but Draco growled at her, “Not good enough, witch,” stepping towards her, predatorily.

She stood stock still, but her feet twitched like they wanted to flee.

“Not going to run?” Draco asked, gesturing to her feet.

“I don’t like being chased,” she replied.

Draco smirked, “You don’t want me to catch you?”

“I never think about it as being caught anymore. I think of it as being Snatched,” she smiled sadly at him, before dropping her gaze. They both thought about when she was caught with Potter and Weasley during the War by Snatchers and taken to Malfoy Manor where she’d been tortured.

“Of course, I wasn’t thinking, sorry,” Draco backtracked.

“No need to be sorry, just another innocuous thing that got changed forever,” Hermione recovered easily. “Now, have you ever watched a Muggle movie?”

“Isn’t that like a weak version of a wizard photo?” Draco said, dredging up what little he took in from Muggle Studies at school.

Hermione laughed again. “I see I will have to re-educate you. I’ll start you out with one I know you will like; it has action as well as comedy.” She waved her hands around, wiggling her fingers in an enticing fashion.

“What do I have to do?” Draco asked sceptically.

“Sit on the couch and watch a television, very physically demanding,” Hermione teased.

Draco contemplated her idea. “OK, but you have to sit with me.”

“As if I would do anything else,” she said, guiding him into the living room.

* * *

“So, what did you think?” Hermione asked Malfoy after the movie was over.

“It was pretty bad,” he replied.

“Oh really?” she said, sarcastically. “Even after you laughed your way through the entire thing it was bad?”

“Yes,” Malfoy said, crossing his arms defiantly, but with an amused smirk on his face.

“Elaborate on your argument,” Hermione retorted.

“Well, for one, Muggle movies can’t even get their mouths to work in time with the sound,”

“That was because it was a dub, the original is in the Hong Kong dialect and we would have to read subtitles, so for your first movie, I chose it to be dubbed instead. The English translation gets put over the mouth movements of the other language.”

Draco nodded, understanding. “Well, then they fight without magic,”

“They’re Muggles!” Hermione cried.

“Yes, but it’s so... inelegant.” Malfoy continued.

“He was _meant_ to be inelegant, he was a drunken martial artist, that was why it was funny!”

“Still, why is Muggle furniture so poorly made?”

“So that the fight scenes look better, come on, that fight in the bar, you were riveted.”

“I was intrigued by how fast and intricate some of the movements were,” Draco mused.

“That was all real, you know, someone actually does those stunts.”

“I admit that was impressive.”

“And you laughed at almost everything the aunt said.”

“Well, she was just like you, very bossy but also manipulative and able to talk herself out of anything.”

“Like how I’ve talked you out of thinking this movie was bad?”

“...Yeah.”

“Good,” Hermione smiled in triumph. Malfoy harrumphed so cutely at her that she kissed him, taking him by surprise.

“What was that for?” Malfoy asked her.

Hermione shrugged. “I’m just really into you right now.”

He smiled and pulled her close, placing a slow kiss on her. She smiled against his mouth and he felt a burst of happiness explode through him.

* * *

Hermione was grateful that Malfoy wasn’t taking her feelings for granted. He knew there was a fundamental difference between loving someone and falling in love. Falling, as she was doing, meant that you could still be shocked out of it rather quickly. Being in love meant you were committed and would choose to work through things rather than walking away from them. 

Hermione may have been falling, but she hadn’t landed yet, meaning gravity could still reverse on her. Being able to kiss him when she wanted felt amazing and she was treasuring their time together, but she knew that she didn’t want to commit and he wouldn’t be able to. They could cross that hurdle if and when they needed to.

“So, what other kinds of movies are there?” Draco asked her. “Show me a typical one that was done in English to see if they really are good.”

“What kind would you like?” she replied, wrapping her arms around his shoulders as she tucked into his side.

“Are there any that are of Muggles doing things that we do?”

“You mean a spy movie?”

“Sure, let’s go with one like that, I want to see how they do it without magic,” Draco said, genuinely intrigued.

“Have you ever heard of a guy called James Bond?”

“No, he’s a spy?”

“A very famous one. Things you need to know about James Bond: he is a British spy, he has ridiculous adventures, he seduces some fine-looking ladies, and he takes his martini shaken, not stirred,” Hermione recounted famous Bond-isms on her hand. “Ooh, would you like to have typical Muggle movie-going fare?”

“Like what?”

“Popcorn and sweets are the most popular.”

“I could be persuaded to try, I suppose...” Draco tailed off, sending her a smirk since she was bouncing on her knees beside him. After giving an excited squeal, Hermione started to get up, but was pulled back down by Draco. He kissed her, cupping her face with the hand that wasn’t on her arm. He leaned into her further, pushing her onto the couch seat, placing himself between her legs.

Hermione was wearing tight jeans that she had cuffed up past her ankle and a cropped white T-shirt that showed a small expanse of her abdomen. Draco had placed his hand against the open stretch of skin there and she felt hot under his touch.

They kissed playfully on the couch and Hermione couldn’t help smiling and using her teeth to nibble at him to avoid them crashing. She giggled into his mouth and he pulled back.

“Granger, it is really fucking sexy when you do that, you ought to be careful with it,” Draco told her, bracing his arms on either side of her.

She looked up at him, “You got it, babe,” she winked and laughed again at his expression.

“Seriously, Granger? Pet names?” he looked at her like she was mental.

“I have a whole slew of them if you don’t like that one,” she grinned mischievously, rattling them off in quick succession, “Sweetie, darling, boo, honey, dear, cutie, handsome, gorgeous, pumpkin, daddy, lover... bro,” she smiled, running her tongue over a canine, mocking him.

“Bro?” Draco quirked an eyebrow at her.

“If that’s too familiar, I can use the more formal Brosef instead.”

“No.”

“How about Brofessor if you want to feel smart?”

“Granger...”

“Brotagonist then?” Hermione squealed as Draco smothered her with his mouth to shut her up.

They kissed for a while until Draco pulled back again, lying on top of her and her hands fiddled with the blonde locks that had fallen onto his forehead.

“Just get the food and put on the movie, no more talking,” Draco warned at her, but he was smiling and she knew he was enjoying himself.

Hermione jumped off the couch and turned to him to ask if he wanted salt and butter or icing sugar on the popcorn but he tutted at her and mimed locking his lips. She grinned at him and went into the kitchen. She hummed the most inane song she knew loudly just to annoy him.

He glared at her, but knew she had found a loophole in his rules yet again. She got a packet of popcorn out and popped it with her wand, adding butter and salt to one bowl and icing sugar over the top of another. She leant into a cabinet to see what sweets she had and came up with two of her favourite Muggle creations, Skittles and M&M’s.

Smiling, shark-like, she poured both into the same bowl knowing they looked enough alike that Draco wouldn’t know the difference, for the first handful at least.

Placing them and a couple of fizzy drinks on the coffee table, she knelt to put on the movie in the DVD player.

Settling back on the couch, she grabbed a handful of the salt and butter popcorn and ate it, looking at Draco to copy her. He did so, and his eyebrows rose in appreciation. She did the same with the sweet popcorn option and he liked that, too. Trying not to laugh, Hermione grabbed a random handful of the Skittle/M&M mixture and ate it, the chocolate and fruit collaboration bursting on her tongue and she tried not to grimace as she chewed. She watched carefully as Draco again did the same. At first he chewed fast, but got slower and slower, frowning before turning to look at her and she smiled like she was the epitome of innocence.

Draco’s eyes widened and he grabbed the bowl, picking up the different rainbow candies and quickly sorting them out in his palm. Then he rounded on her.

“Is it just a coincidence that you gave me a bowl of S&M and decided to punish me?”

Hermione hadn’t even thought of that and erupted into peals of laughter. He was so quick, he knew that hadn’t taste right and knew she’d done something right away. Clever wizard.

“Sorry, but the circumstances were perfect, I had to,” Hermione massaged her cheeks which had begun to cramp from laughter and smiling.

“You sound like George,” Draco grumbled.

“George! I haven’t seen him in ages, I haven’t been able to get to the Burrow for family dinner for a few weeks, I should head over before I go to France,” she said.

“Me either, maybe I should go with you,” Draco added.

“You’re volunteering to go? Last time Harry and I had to basically drag you there,” Hermione exclaimed.

“I can’t disappoint you by not putting up a fight,” Draco replied, cheekily. He seemed to have realised the fun in her joke and had since eaten a mouthful of the separate lollies and he seemed to like them both.

Grabbing a cushion and placing it on Draco’s lap, Hermione moved into the same position she’d been in the night before, putting her legs on the back of the sofa, angling Draco slightly so he was in the right position for her to use the pillow for her head. He shifted to keep her there while making himself comfortable and Hermione arranged the food bowls around them for easy access.

Hermione hit play and started the movie. Draco was instantly enthralled with the film with its slick graphics and fast-paced but suave action sequences. As he had with the previous film, he asked her questions about Muggle things throughout it and she smiled that he seemed so relaxed. His arm was draped along the back of the couch and she reached her hand up to entwine her fingers with his. He took them firmly, but did not look away from the film.

An hour later, Hermione’s attention started to drift since she had seen the movie a few times already. She decided to tease him for fun. She began to breathe deeper, emphasising her chest movements going up and down.

She had only done it a few times before Draco’s voice drifted down to her, “I already know that trick, Granger, it’s not going to work.” His eyes quickly flicked down to hers and she pouted, to his credit he did hesitate then, but shifted focus back to the television.

Stretching her legs off the back of the sofa, she re-positioned by crossing her ankles and resting them on the other arm of the couch.

She remembered that she had seduced Jun-ki with her near-patented breathing technique. When they had first met, they had been on completely professional terms, but she had gone over to his house with a mutual friend and watched them play video games while she was supposed to be designing a new blueprint for one of their charms.

She had lain on the floor in just the right angle and breathed, while pretending to think. After that, Jun-ki, a veritable video game genius, died a few times and the next day he had asked her out. Thinking about Jun-ki made her think about the bugs and she wondered where they would be able to place a fourth bug in the French residence. It was probably used as a base for the French faction of the operation so it would be valuable for them to place one in there. While internalising all of this, she managed to drift off to sleep on Draco’s lap.

* * *

The Muggle film had finished another hour after Granger fell asleep and Draco had summoned the book of hers he was reading over to continue it, not wanting to wake her. Twenty minutes into the book, she sat up slowly.

“Awake now, huh?” he said, but paused when she slowly sat up and walked to the bathroom. There was something off about it, her movements were slow, without any of the bounce she normally possessed. He furrowed his brow when she left the door slightly open, then came the sound of her violent retching.

Draco moved faster than he thought possible, Hermione was sprawled on the floor head stuck in the porcelain, voiding the contents of her stomach. He rubbed her back as he crouched down beside her.  
A minute or so passed of her doing this and then she rested her pallid cheek against the rim, staring at nothing with dead eyes.

“What happened?” Draco asked her, unsure if he even should, if she wanted to talk about it.

Her voice, when it came, was robotic, “My star died,” she said.

Draco froze, she had obviously had a nightmare, it seemed she was used to having this reaction judging from the mechanical way she was acting.

“There’s new magic in here,” she said, a twitch appearing on her brow. She tilted her head to look upwards. She always looked upwards. “Fuzzy Wuzzy was here,” she intoned. “Malfoy was here,”

“ _Is_ here,” Draco corrected, but he didn’t think Hermione was very aware of her surroundings at the moment.

“I’m falling for him,” she closed her eyes. “It’s really hard.”

“Why?” Draco asked.

“I’ll live and I’ll die hooked on a star,” Granger said in a sing-songy way that told him she had said this many times before. “He’s the wrong star.”

“Who is? I am?” Draco asked, but got no response. He tried shaking her, but nothing happened. Now he knew why Hermione had known how to get through to him when he’d retreated inwards after the Uzbekistan story, she had personal experience with it.

He lifted her lids, but her eyes were unresponsive. He knew that this was probably connected to the rest of her star talk. He had attempted to deny it, but he knew it was about the two words they weren’t allowed to mention under any circumstance. Ron Weasley. He tried an _Enervate_ but that didn’t work. This was bad and he didn’t know how to fix it. He knew someone who would though.

He went out onto the balcony and Apparated to Potter’s house, not caring that he was barefoot. He rang the doorbell and banged on the door until Potter opened it. 

“It’s Granger. I don’t know what happened but she woke up and-“ he was interrupted by Potter.

“Oh shit, hold on one second, I need to write a note to Ginny,” Draco was impressed by the perceptiveness of the wizard, but it also worried him that it happened enough that this was Harry’s reaction. Draco didn’t doubt for a second that Potter was fully cognizant of the situation. He came back and went out, locking and warding the door behind him. Apparating to Granger’s with Draco right behind.

Draco didn’t even need to explain as Harry walked into the living room. “Where?” he said, looking at Draco who pointed at the bathroom.

Seeing her, Potter swore and gathered her up, Draco felt a stab of guilt that he hadn’t put her somewhere before leaving. Potter sat them on Hermione’s couch and cradled her against him. Resting her head on his shoulder, Draco could only get closer and watch as Harry placed a hand between her breasts, against her heart and closed his own eyes.

It felt very intimate and Draco was intensely uncomfortable at watching, but he needed to know that Granger was OK. Potter seemed to synchronise his breaths with Hermione and then sunk into a torpor himself.

Within a few minutes, they both came awake, Granger blinking her eyes, seeming much more aware than she had been previously. Then she stated panicking.

“Harry! Harry, he’s dead. He died, I saw him.” She clutched Harry’s shoulders, her fingers digging in, bunching at the man’s shirt as he tried to soothe her.

“No, ‘Mione, it’s OK, he’s not dead.”

“But there was so much blood, Harry! An-and there was b-bits of him all over my dress. He must be dead.”

“Shh, ‘Mione, shh. It’s OK.” Harry stuck her head against his neck. “Just breathe, it’s me. I’m here and I’ve got you.”

Draco watched as Granger breathed in at Harry’s neck, it took several inhalations before she spoke again. Still with her eyes closed, she visibly calmed, running the side of her nose, up his neck.

“It is Harry. Harry’s here and everything’s fine.” Hermione settled back into the crook of Potter’s neck and lapped once across the skin there, sighing. “Tastes like Harry. Harry’s here and I’ll be OK.”

Draco felt ill himself. Granger was so intimately familiar with Potter that him and him alone, it seemed, could bring her back and calm her down. The fact that she had to re-calibrate herself by smelling and tasting the other wizard sent a pang of jealousy through Draco even as he tried to stop it.

Harry chuckled. “Yes, it’s me. It’s always me. I wish you didn’t have to lick me every time.”

Granger still had her arms wrapped around Potter and his were around her as she curled in his lap. Her eyes had opened again as she took deep breaths from where she’d licked.

“Uh-uh,” she shook her head against him. “I need it, need you.”

“We need each other, ‘Mione,” Harry told her, stroking her hair as they rocked slowly.

“Malfoy was here, you know,” Hermione said. Harry turned his head to look at Draco who was still standing, unsure what to do.

“I know,” Harry said.

“I’m falling for him, did you know? I think that’s what brought this on again,” her voice was starting to get back to normal, a quiet passion beginning to infuse it.

Harry sent a look to Draco at her words, smiling a little. “Is that so?” Potter laughed softly.

“Yeah, I put him up in the sky as well, but he’s so much closer,” Granger replied, a shiver running through her and she pressed herself even closer to Harry if that was even possible.

“He’s even closer than you think,” Harry told her.

“Not as close as you, my Earth, the ground I walk on.”

“Maybe not right now,”

“That’s not your line,” Hermione nudged at him with an elbow while her hand flattened itself gently on Potter’s neck.

Harry sighed, resigned to the ritual of their conversation. “And you’re my air, the oxygen I breathe.”

Hermione was quiet for a bit. “He’ll run away now, won’t he?”

Harry’s gaze flicked to Draco again who hadn’t been able to tear his eyes away from them. “He hasn’t so far,” he aimed his next words at Draco. “Do you intend to run away now?”

Draco shook his head.

“Malfoy?” Hermione’s voice asked softly. Harry jerked his head to indicate for Draco to go around the back of the couch to face her.

He did so and crouched down, her eyes had followed him from her periphery until he was in front of her. Granger reached out with the hand that had been on Harry’s neck.

He took it between both of his.

“Are you OK?” she asked him. Again, he was surprised.

“Isn’t that what I’m supposed to say?” he asked her.

She shook her head. “This must be odd for you,” she held his gaze until he couldn’t help but look down but luckily was saved from answering when there was a roar from the Floo and Ginny stood there.

“Ginny Weasley is one fine-ass bitch,” she said into the electronic pad. She strode over to them. “That phrase seemed so funny when I got ‘Mione to make it for me, but it’s really inappropriate right now, huh?”

She sent Draco a wink and it relaxed him to know she considered this normal and wasn’t threatened by it at all.

“Gin, can you get the-“ Harry started.

“Oh, yeah, sure, give me a tick,” the red-haired witch went into the kitchen and opened a cabinet coming back with a vial that she opened and placed under Hermione’s nose.

“What’s that?” Draco asked.

“Amortentia,” Ginny replied.

He jerked his head to the woman. “It’s what?”

“Amortentia, the super-duper love potion, Hermione needs it to smell her favourite items. ‘Mione smells a lot of things.”

“I have experienced that,” Draco said dryly, calming now that Hermione seemed to be going back to normal.

“I just bet you have,” Ginny insinuated.

Granger was inhaling the potion still.

“This one must have been particularly bad if you need it for this long,” Ginny said, frowning at her friend.

“No, just-“ she stopped and re-sealed the vial, and climbed off Harry to take it back to the kitchen.

Seeing her up and about now, Draco stood, ignoring Ginny’s leering gaze on him.

Potter got up and came around to speak quietly to Draco, “Thanks for getting me.” Draco nodded at him, and Harry moved to hug Ginny from behind, asking her about her team’s practice.

Hermione had gone to the bathroom to fix herself up and was now busying herself in the kitchen, brewing a pot of tea. Her eyes flicked to Draco’s once, but when they met his, she looked away again quickly.

He went over to her, curious as to her reaction. “You OK?” he asked.

“Did you hear everything I said to Harry?” she asked, even though she knew the answer.

“Yes,” he replied.

“Does it change anything? It’s OK if it does,” she said it calmly, but since she couldn’t meet his eyes again, he knew that she wasn’t calm inside.

He drew her into a hug, “We’re all fucked up.”

Hermione laughed softly, “I suppose that’s true,” she told him, looking into his face with that smile that was only for him. He leaned down and kissed her and she stretched onto her tiptoes to meet him, throwing her arms around his neck, drawing herself flush against his body and he brought his arms around her.

“They’re so completely having sexy fun times,” they heard Ginny say, “Harry, you owe me a night of dancing.” She was grinning triumphantly, but Harry mockingly grinned back at her.

“I think you’ll find, Ginny dearest, that you are wrong,” he said, raising his eyebrows at them.

“Potter’s right, sorry Ginevra,” Draco smirked at her.

“How did you know?” Ginny turned a scandalized face to Harry. “Look at them, they’re all over each other!”

“Yes, but Malfoy doesn’t have that look of a starving man when he’s _not_ touching her yet,” Harry explained. “I have an unfair advantage having been there when Hermione took it to the next step with one of her lovers, so I know what to look for.”

Ginny grumbled like she ought to have thought of that.

“Will you really leave me starving?” Draco teased, holding Hermione apart from him in mock-outrage.

“As you know, Malfoy, whatever you want...” she trailed off playfully, licking the corner of her mouth slowly again, this time doing it deliberately to bait him.

He responded by jerking her possessively, a low growl issuing from him that only she could hear.

Ginny interrupted again, waving a finger between them, “Aren’t you guys going to France as cousins? How is THAT going to work?”

Everyone blinked at each other, unsure how to answer.

Hermione stepped away from Draco and placed her hands on the kitchen counter, “Anyone for a stiff drink?” she asked, to which all of them nodded vigorously.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you very much for reading! Let us all look forward to a new year. Stay safe, everyone.


	20. Chapter 20

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I would like to warn against some Professor-student role play in this chapter. This may be triggering to some readers. It is intended as play between consenting adults.

Ginny and Harry left around midnight. Ginny kissed Hermione on the lips as was now her custom and Harry hugged his friend tightly, placing a kiss on top of her head.

“Thanks for everything, Harry,” Hermione told him, squeezing tightly and leaning her head on his chest.

Harry laughed. “You forget that you do it for me as well. Once you have perfected that Meditation spell, you won’t need me anymore though.”

“Oh, don’t worry,” Hermione said, breezily. “I’m sure I can find something new that I will desperately need you for.”

Constricting one more time, Harry released her, “I don’t doubt it,” he said to which she stuck her tongue out.

“Bye, Malfoy!” Ginny called from the hallway.

“See ya,” Harry nodded to Draco in acknowledgment.

Hermione glanced at Draco as he nodded in turn. Harry pulled the door closed, smiling at her and she lifted her hand in a wave.

Draco came up behind her and wrapped her in his arms. It surprised Hermione since it wasn’t like him to be sweet. He was either distant and aloof or passionate and demanding. When they had their quiet moments, it was normally her initiating them, not him. She knew that this was for his benefit as well as hers though. He needed to make a place in her life and engulfing her with his body would have seemed the easiest thing to do. She could tell he was burning to ask her about this afternoon, his body practically vibrating with the questions.

“Don’t ask,” she sighed.

“I wasn’t going to,” he replied. There was a pause as he leaned his weight onto her, heavy and needing reassuring.

“What were you going to not ask me, so I might answer in the future?”

“I wasn’t going to ask you what that was this afternoon or how often it happens and I _definitely_ wasn’t going to ask about Potter being able to pull you out of it when I couldn’t.”

Hermione stilled. She didn’t want to talk about it, but she was curious about something. “Did you try?”

“Try to what?”

She brought her hands so they traced swirls on his fingers. He began swaying her a little, nuzzling against her neck. “Try to pull me out or did you go straight to Harry?”

With Draco’s face so close to hers, she felt his brow furrow, “I went straight to him.”

“Well, then you don’t know that it wouldn’t have worked with you,” she turned her head and kissed him. “Thank you for helping though, it can’t have been easy to see me like that.”

He rested his chin on her shoulder, “No, it wasn’t easy.”

“What do you want to do now?” she asked.

“I’m not going to leave,” he said quickly.

Hermione laughed, “That wasn’t what I meant, I’d like to do something for you. So, what would you like to do?”

“Apart from get you naked and shag you stupid?”

“If you’re aim is to make me stupid it would probably take a while,” Hermione retorted.

A thrill went through her when Draco chuckled against her throat. “You always have an answer, don’t you, Granger?”

“I, - er – um – ah...”

“Very cute, you’re hilarious,” Draco replied, drolly.

Hermione turned in his arms and snaked hers around his neck. “I like to think so,” she said, her tone lowering and looking at his gorgeous face. “So, what do you want, Draco?”

Draco smirked at her.

Ten minutes later found Hermione back in her Hogwarts school uniform.

“Really?” she said, fingering the edge of her skirt that was quite a bit shorter due to her growth spurt when she was 18.

Draco raised his eyebrows expectantly.

Hermione sighed. “Really, Professor Malfoy?”

“Yes, Miss Granger, really. Now let’s get started with detention.”

“Sir? I don’t understand what I possibly could have done to warrant a detention,” Hermione stamped her foot on the floor in a show of youthful petulance.

“Miss Granger, attempting to seduce a member of staff is highly prohibited. Be glad that I only gave you a detention, do you really want to lose more points for Gryffindor?”

Hermione legitimately blanched, a punishment on herself was bad, a punishment that reflected on everyone she cared about was worse. “Please, sir, anything but that, sir.”

“Anything?” Draco leered at her from his position on her wing-back chair.

Hermione knelt by the rounded arm, “Anything, truly, Professor Malfoy.”

Draco took the remainder of half a beer Harry had left on the table and poured it out on Hermione’s wooden floors despite her jaw-drop of protest.

“Scrubbing the dungeon floor should be a good start. Elbow grease, too, Granger, no shortcuts with magic. Now get to work.”

Hermione stomped over to the kitchen and filled a bucket with soapy water and got a sponge as well.  
She rolled up her sleeves and headed back to the spill, not believing he had coerced her into doing this.

When she got there, outrage set her features, “You cast a drying spell to set it into the wood?” Draco gave her a mock-glare. “Sir,” she added.

“Detention isn’t supposed to be easy, Miss Granger.”

Hermione dropped the bucket handle, making the soapy water splash over the side. Throwing his amused face a defiant scowl, she got on her hands and knees. As she dipped in the sponge and wrung it out, she settled into a kneeling position. Placing her free hand over the stain, she began working on it.

It wasn’t coming off easily. She grunted as she had to apply a lot of pressure to even get the thick residue to start coming off her beautiful floors. From the chair, Draco snorted.

“Is this fun for you, Professor Malfoy?” she asked, sweet in tone with acid on her tongue.

“Yes, Miss Granger, more fun than I thought. Watching you squirm on the ground satisfies that part of me that was never quite able to one-up you.”

“Are you saying, sir, that I am even cleverer than you, my esteemed teacher?” she stopped and looked at him, resting back on her thighs.

“Enough of your cheek, Granger, or I will dock house points,” Draco glowered at her.

Hermione tore her eyes from him and re-concentrated her efforts. It took her a few minutes to even begin to get results and she was out of practice at the task. I mean, who would use the Muggle method when the magic way was so much easier.

After a few minutes of scrubbing, Hermione’s back was prickling with sweat from her exertions. She had been able to feel Draco’s eyes on her the entire time, watching her, studying her. He obviously thought it was brilliant, smirking at her with glittering eyes at every hostile look she threw him.

Slowly, she saw progress being made. Then she discovered that she actually liked it, seeing the edges of the mark receding under her care. She slowed her movements and pushed into the floor harder. It made her feel good, in control. She dipped the sponge into the now cool water, lifting and squeezing as she watched rivulets of the liquid drip down her bare forearm, fascinated with the journey they took. She smiled and returned to her task, playing it differently now. She moved slower, with more measured strokes, arching her back like a cat with every slide.

Draco had sensed the change and shifted in his chair. “Miss Granger, I believe you are smiling, you are not supposed to enjoy your detention.”

“Sorry, sir,” Hermione said, gliding forward, maintaining a graceful pose throughout it. She looked at him with darkened eyes. “I find myself fascinated by the way I can rub this wood right here, so hard and so good that the sticky residue comes out from under my hand. Don’t you think that is just so _satisfying_ , Professor Malfoy?” her voice was sultry and Draco cleared his throat audibly.

“Miss Granger, while it may be satisfying, your pleasure in the task may cause me to punish you further, giving other body parts than just your arms a workout,” Draco had leaned forward in the chair, closer to her now.

“Professor Malfoy, I would gladly exercise the rest of my body however you see fit. The body is a temple after all and a person may worship inside, finding enlightenment with their prayers.”

“How much worship does a temple need for the individual to receive enlightenment, Miss Granger?” Draco’s voice intoned, low with desire.

“It depends how long and hard a person prays while inside, I suppose, Professor.” Hermione sat up slowly, letting him watch her lithe form. She fanned herself. “Sir? I feel so hot, may I cool myself down? I will still deny myself magic and do it by hand...” she held Draco’s heated gaze as she dipped the sponge back into the water while she popped a few buttons on her too small shirt that had already been straining from her chest. Bringing the sopping sponge above her she squeezed it out across the now exposed skin, patting around her neck with a quiet mewling coming from her throat. “That feels so good,” she said, looking down at her lap before bringing her eyes slowly upwards from the side to meet him again.

“Isn’t that water dirty, Ms. Granger?”

Hermione giggled, touching her collarbone with the sponge, “Well, Professor, I’m OK with being dirty if it means I get wet...” Draco couldn’t contain himself anymore and launched himself down on her as she squealed. He straddled her and pinned her arms above her head. She writhed underneath him.

“Professor Malfoy, do you require something else from me for my detention?” Hermione blinked up at him, loving his weight resting on her.

“Yes, Miss Granger, I do,”

“And what is it, sir? Whatever you want, I will give it to you,” Draco uttered a growl at that.

“What I want,” he said, inhaling deeply, “is this.”

His mouth scorched hers in a searing kiss. The floor was still wet with the sticky mess the beer had created as well as the water Hermione had left there. Her hair spread out in the suds, getting wet as he brought a hand around to her neck, supporting her head to bring her even closer to him. The other one was still pinning her arms down above her and it burned her not to be able to touch him. His thighs were gripping her hips so she couldn’t move too much there, either, but she brought a knee up to run her bare foot along the back of his trousered thigh while her shin grazed his undercarriage in a light touch.

Draco’s growl returned from that and they fully opened up to each other, tongues tangling, Hermione’s chest rising in an arch off the floor. Hermione sucked Draco’s tongue before nibbling his bottom lip. He attacked her again, leaning down into her so they were flush with each other. Hermione’s body was on fire and goosebumps erupted down her arms and back with tingling need.

Just as she decided to take this further, Draco pulled back, removing himself from her side and his knees sat at her hips and the one hand still on her wrists.

“Your punishment, Miss Granger, is to be denied what you most want, the reason for this detention in the first place.”

Hermione panted, still dazed. “What was that exactly, Professor? I can’t remember.”

Draco leaned down to her ear and whispered, “You will not have me tonight.”

An involuntary noise of disappointed desperation left her before she knew it and she rocked under him to try and get closer. Draco laughed at her, his eyes twinkling with a smile.

“I think this might be the first time I really got you,” he said in a normal voice, the game now over.

Hermione pouted. She was still trying to wiggle her way out of it and his grin at her widened. She could have done it by magic, but this was more fun.

“You look good like this, Granger, hair damp with soapy water and mussed uniform. My teenaged self is high-fiving me right now.”

Hermione scoffed, “Your teenaged self was a right prick and would have humiliated me if this really was school.”

“He would have done,” Draco agreed. “But he probably would have wanked off to the image later. No matter how annoying you were then, sexy is still sexy.”

Hermione followed up that intriguing notion. “Did you? Did you ever wank to my image at school?”  
Draco looked down at her. She was genuinely curious, that spark of interest shining brightly at him. “Yes, a couple of times. After seeing you at the Yule Ball and once when I saw you come out of the Prefect bathroom and the moonlight hit you just right from the window. Your hair was still wet and you swept it over one shoulder, the skin of your neck was damp, and you were clearly naked under the robe. Those are the two I distinctly remember. That last one I used a couple of times since you were forbidden and it was hot. It was only recently I was reminded of it though.”

“I thought of you a couple of times in sixth year, when you were a mess.”

“That was hardly when I was looking my best,” Draco told her, surprised.

“I know,” she said, shifting alluringly on the floor again. “You were emotionally crippled and my ‘Save the Whales’ complex kicked in. I just love me some hopelessness and the imagined gratitude from you when I made it alllllll better really got me going,” she poked her tongue between her teeth teasingly.

Draco chuckled at her response, “I would have hated to know that. Even the great Gryffindor Princess pitying me? It would have made me want to kill myself.”

“Hence why I never approached. I contemplated it a couple of times, especially after Harry nearly murdered you, but I knew I would make it worse instead of better, so I refrained,” Hermione spoke the words earnestly.

“And here we are,” Draco said.

“And here we are,” she repeated. There was a pause and then she blurted, “Can I really not have you tonight? Any of you?”

Draco laughed properly at that. He stood up, bringing her arms back over her head to loop around his neck and lifted her to her feet.

“Does that mean you’re leaving?” she asked.

“No,” he replied, his face softening at the saddened look on her. Hermione didn’t want to be alone after her episode that afternoon, even if she was too proud to say it. Draco continued, “Instead, I want a shower and some sleep.”

Her entire body relaxed, and she smiled. It was so shining and bright, full of appreciation for him. He looked taken aback, but it slipped briefly into happiness before he schooled his features under control again. That brief window had made Hermione’s chest ache with a hard thump, it hurt good and rested abrasively against her, constantly making her aware of it.

“We can do that,” she replied, heading up the stairs.

* * *

“Draco, wake up! Oh gods, please wake up! We have to go!” Hermione was shaking him.

Draco cracked his eyes open but seeing her looking so distressed, he bolted up out of her bed.

She shoved an opened note at him, “Read this, it’s from Terry,” she said, and then went to lean against the railing that looked out over her living room. Her shoulders were tense, Draco immediately knew it wasn’t good news.

 _“Another attack. Wizarding concert venue. Finch-Fletchley and boyfriend injured. St Mungo’s, 214. – Terry,”_ was all the missive said.

“Fuck.” Draco cursed, he moved into action. Going to the wardrobe and grabbing clothes from Granger’s collection as well as a spare set of Ministry robes. After dressing in there he emerged to find Hermione in jeans and a sweater, ready to go. Her eyes were wide, but she looked driven.

“How-“ Draco started, but she cut him off.

“After we get to St. Mungo’s.” He nodded and they shoved their shoes on before they went out her door, locking it and Apparating to St. Mungo’s designated area.

The hospital was overloaded with people rushing back and forth. It was around 3am and Draco guessed the concert had been bombed just as the event had ended.

Hermione strode ahead of him heading for the room indicated. There was a long line for the elevator, full of people crying and holding each other so he followed her and bypassed them, taking the stairwell further down.

After taking the stairs with a brisk efficiency, two at a time they emerged onto the right floor and headed for the 14th room.

They met Terry outside, “They’re both stable. Justin’s in here, hasn’t woken up yet. Sy’s downstairs, awake but with a pretty bad concussion.”

Hermione nodded, cupping Terry by the elbow in comfort and Draco nodded at the guy.

They entered. Justin looked pallid and awful against the hospital sheets. Hermione rushed to his side and held his hand, they had gotten pretty close since she had started with the department. She’d gotten close with everyone.

Draco had no special connection to Justin, but he did good work and never complained about their overtime like some others.

Draco hung back as Hermione pushed Justin’s hair back from his head comfortingly, “I’m so sorry. I’m so, so sorry,” she whispered.

The door slid open again and Theo and Potter stood there. Terry was still standing guard, not letting anyone in unless he gave permission.

Potter looked at Justin and then at Hermione, who had leant her forehead against Justin’s hand clasped in her own.

Harry drew another chair close to hers and wrapped his arms around her, talking softly to her and she buried herself against him, releasing Justin. Harry looked over her shoulder, gazing distractedly at Justin.

“When did you arrive?” Theo nudged Draco, watching Justin with an ashen face.

“Just a few minutes ago,”

“Do we have anything?” Theo asked.

Draco shook his head, so Theo clapped his shoulder to get his attention. Draco turned and Theo jerked his head at the door and to where Terry was. Draco nodded and they left the room with him.

Sliding the door closed behind them, Draco heard Theo place himself in front of Terry, “What happened?” he said.

Terry raised his eyes to his friend from the floor. “One of my alerts went off, Baldric Franco. He went outside his mapped area, set off my alarm so I followed him. He was at a Muggle concert and then the blast went off... I think there were a few deaths. At least 5 that I saw, they timed it perfectly, just as people were pouring out they activated it.”

“Same magical register as normal?” Draco asked.

“Yes, this is Le Roux’s crew alright,” Terry said, showing him the reading he’d taken from his wand.

“Bloody fucking hell,” he swore.

“Do you- do you think they targeted it knowing one of our team was there?” Terry ventured, hesitantly.

There was a pause. The implications of this were huge if it was true. It meant that within their core team, there potentially was a mole. No one could be trusted. Draco thought quickly to the spells and contracts Granger had made them sign. Only the infiltration team knew what she looked like as Felicia, but there was only so much protection you could give yourself. The contracts didn’t prohibit action against particular team members. It could also have been a coincidence, Justin and Sy did attend a lot of Muggle events.

“How’d you know to get here? The owl I sent to you came back unopened,” Terry said.

Draco thought quickly, “Granger got to me first,” he said, not ready to divulge whatever was happening with Hermione.

“Ah,” Terry said. He turned to Theo who was deep in thought, “What’s up?” he asked the wizard.

Theo frowned. “If you’re right, Terry, and there is a mole, then that person isn’t one of us unless they are really very clever. Us, plus Potter and Granger are the best targets for a counter attack, but they hurt Justin instead. As good as the guy is, he is not a threat like Harry or Granger.”

“Your point being?” Terry asked.

Theo brought his eyes up to flick between them. “I’m saying that if I was the enemy, as soon as I heard Hermione Granger was on the case, I would target and eliminate her.”

There was a pregnant pause. That would be the most logical course of action. Hermione was a threat in every way: smart, rational, incredibly gifted with a wand and willing to put everything on the line to help her best friend, Harry Potter. Often to the point of leaving herself at risk.

Draco’s stomach clenched as he fully realised the constant danger Hermione put herself in.

Draco turned around, watching through the rectangular window into the room. Watching Hermione’s hand as it had entwined with Harry’s over Justin’s. Potter’s arm was around her shoulder and she was resting her head on his shoulder. They were talking. Mostly watching over Justin, but occasionally sharing looks with each other.

Draco was struck yet again with how much they looked like a couple. “We got careless,” he said, looking at them.

“What?” Theo said.

Draco turned again to face him. “Nothing has happened for a while, we got complacent. We let our success go to our heads.”

They were silent knowing it to be the truth. There had been a lack of lower-level busts recently, ever since their success in preventing them when Granger had joined the team. They had been concentrating so much on the infiltration portion of the operation that other things had slipped through the cracks. There had been less overtime and Draco had spent the last few weekends definitively not working but hanging out with Granger. Guilt rolled through him and clenched to turn it to steely resolve.

Padma and Michael came hurrying around the corner as Hermione and Harry slid open the door of Justin’s room. Padma had obviously been crying, they entered the room, huddling around their team member.

“How- how is he?” she said, lip wobbling. Michael placed his arm around her.

Hermione went up and rubbed the woman’s arm, “He’ll be OK, he was stirring before so I’m going to get the Healer,” she walked off.

“What happened?” Michael asked.

“There was an attack at a Muggle concert. As it was ending, bombs went off at the doors. Around 5 dead instantly, about 20 others injured,” Terry explained. “I had been trailing a guy that was let out of Azkaban after a misdemeanour conviction. I saw him go into the building and was waiting a minute before following since he’s a paranoid bastard, then it went off.”

“What was the blast like? We haven’t been that close to one before,” Theo asked.

“Kind of strange,” Terry mused, brow furrowing as he rubbed his chin and looked at the floor. “When the blast happened, it was concentrated at the entrance, don’t know if Muggle bombs do that? Anyway, I felt a buzz of magic as well, I couldn’t figure out where it came from though. Do you think it could be from the ignition of the bomb?”

“Probably,” Theo said. “Did you get the guy or see him again?”

“He wasn’t one of the injured or dead so he must have slipped out during the commotion. I’ve already put a warrant out for him and circulated his picture, if he surfaces, he won’t get far,” Terry assured him.

Hermione came back, stunning them by laughing with the Healer. He was a tall, blond wizard around the same age as them. He was speaking to Hermione, looking at her instead of ahead as they approached, “You’re right, I should apologise for that properly sometime, how about we-“

“Cormac, good to see you again,” Potter said stiffly, offering a hand.

The handsome wizard smiled at him, “Harry! Haven’t seen you in years!”

Draco looked at him, he vaguely recognised him, obviously someone they went to school with but couldn’t place him specifically. He slightly narrowed his eyes at the way the man kept glancing at Hermione who was talking quietly to Michael and Padma.

Cormac moved away from Harry and slid the door open entering to look over Finch-Fletchley who didn’t look like he’d woken yet.

“Who’s that?” Draco said to Harry, nodding his head toward the Healer.

“Cormac McLaggen. He was a Gryffindor, pretty nasty back in Hogwarts but seems to have mellowed out now. Dated Hermione briefly in our sixth year and from the looks of things would like to again,” he gave Draco a quick, but significant look.

They were interrupted from talking further as Zabini ran down the corridor. “Sorry, got here as soon as I could,” he said, but didn’t elaborate. “Justin OK?” Hermione went over and hugged the wizard before explaining what had happened.

McLaggen had slid the door open again. “He’s fine, he has a few cuts and bruises, a broken arm, too, but he’s OK aside from all that. He was lucky to not be closer to the blast. He’s awake, just be careful not to overwhelm him, he’s understandably upset.”

Before McLaggen had even finished, Hermione had zoomed past him and taken a spot right by Justin’s head. The Healer had watched her go before completing his address of them and the rest trailed in. Draco entered but hung back since the space around the bed was full. Justin caught his eye and Draco tilted his head in acknowledgment before Justin turned back to listen to what Hermione was saying to him.

The Healer had come to stand beside Draco.

“Malfoy, right?” he said, Draco nodded.

McLaggen made a sucking sound through his teeth. “Granger has no luck, coming back and finding that she has to work with you of all people and then having to deal with me here. Probably the two biggest brutes she’s run across her whole life.”

“Well,” said Draco dripping sarcasm, “there was a little guy named Voldemort as well. I doubt he made her feel all rainbows and unicorns.”

McLaggen scoffed lightly. “Hermione Granger deals with evil easily. Do you know what she did to Umbridge? And Skeeter? That woman is terrified of her now, has been coming in with panic attacks, you know.”

Draco didn’t know either of those stories. So, he just shook his head.

“No,” McLaggen continued. “It’s the likes of us that really got to her.”

“What do you mean exactly?” Draco said icily.

“The people who bullied and assaulted her, the ones who weren’t evil just went astray. She couldn’t do anything to us and just let herself get hurt instead.”

“I distinctly remember Granger smacking me across the face in third year,” Draco said. “So, I don’t think she was letting herself get hurt.”

“Why’d she hit you?” McLaggen asked.

“Because I was trying to get a Hippogriff executed,” he confessed.

“Then the smack wasn’t for her but for the beast, right? That’s exactly my point,” he sighed. “I had the privilege to have her on my arm for an evening. I took her to Slughorn’s Christmas Party. I did not treat her well at all, biggest regret of my life.”

“And you plan on making it up to her?”

“Yes.” McLaggen said, watching her stroke Justin’s hair while reassuring him about something. “She’s incredible, never met anyone cleverer than her and that spark she has... I swear I could tell she was in the hospital somewhere, everything seemed just that bit brighter or clearer or something. Look at me, rambling on,” the Healer grinned a little sloppily. “Is she dating anyone do you know?”

Draco couldn’t do anything except shrug.

“She went out on a date with Boot, I heard. Her and Potter are still close, but he’s with the Weasley bird. Tony, from Internal Configuration told me that this guy who came over from Asia asked where her office was after their meeting, too. Seemed all anxious to see her. Is that someone from when she was away?”

Draco looked at the wizard with suspicion. “Kept your ear rather close when talk of Granger is around, haven’t you?”

“Of course,” he replied easily. “I’ve always wanted a shot at redemption, maybe I’ll get one now. She’s never been free for me to do so before. I thought she was still tied to, you know-” and he jerked a thumb down the hall before stepping to Justin.

Draco watched him as he headed over to wave some spells of Justin who was looking a lot better and walking a bit closer could hear him asking to be transferred to where his boyfriend was.

As the others all had it covered. Draco slipped out of the room and moved down the hall. He looked at the various signs into rooms, but it wasn’t until he read a direction board that said ‘Long Term Patients Ward’ that he turned. Slipping in, the space was quieter here, apart from the odd mumbling or scream. They obviously had more of a routine in this part of the hospital. He’d passed three rooms before he saw it, the label on the door reading R. Weasley. His hand poised over the door, a quick scuffling came up to him.

“No visitors are allowed here at this time, you can come back in the morning,” a harried witch told him while guiding him back to the entrance, pushing him out before he had formulated a response.

Heavy with swirling thoughts his resolve strengthened and he found his way back to Justin’s room.

An hour and a half later, Justin was sitting with Sy who had taken a couple of potions that had made him much clearer, his concussion nearly gone. They were being despicably cutesy but they weren’t too hurt so there was a collective feeling of relief throughout the group.

Justin didn’t have any further details that he could give and urged them all to go home. They knew the next day was going to be brutal. Terry left first, heading straight to the office to write up the reports, one for the media, one for the official record.

Zabini had been quiet and withdrawn and he put a hand on Granger’s shoulder to mumble his goodbyes. She had smiled wanly at him, squeezing the hand and letting it be stretched out as he left, falling back to her side once his fingers left hers, still watching Justin and Sy. Padma was looking relieved now, but Michael still had an eye on her. Theo left as well. Soon it was just Harry, Draco and Hermione left. They said their last farewells to Justin and Sy and headed for the Apparition point.

“I might go to the office as well,” Hermione said. She looked deep in thought, the way her eyes were flicking around were an indication of the speed her brain was working.

“OK,” Harry said. “I’ll come, too. I had to be up in a couple of hours anyway. ‘Mione did you want to postpone the spar session with the new recruits?”

“Hm? Oh, I probably should,” she touched her shoulders and circled them, moving her head at the same time. “I feel all... tight or something.”

They had entered the elevator and were the only ones in it, the crowd seemed to have thinned out.

“Isn’t it just being in a hospital again?” Harry gently asked as he pushed the button for the ground floor.

“Oh, yeah!” Hermione said, releasing her shoulders with a sad slump. “That’s what it is, I forget I have a thing about hospitals. Haven’t been in one for a while.”

“You have a thing for hospitals?” Draco asked her, hoping to maybe gently broach his discovery, what was one more trauma for the day.

“I dislike them very much. I haven’t been to one in a long time for a good reason,” she said it easily, but she looked pained and slightly awkward.

Harry laughed again and shook his head. “Hey, remember that time when you-“

“Shh!” Hermione commanded, throwing a finger behind her to rest against Potter’s chest, who then snorted at her. “Please, Malfoy, don’t even ask. It was really embarrassing.”

“Because _that_ makes me not want to know,” Draco said sarcastically.

“Change of subject then,” Hermione briskly replied. “Cormac asked me out.”

The elevator dinged then and she left it, Draco following but Harry stayed, gobsmacked. As the doors started to close as he ran to catch up with Hermione.

“You can’t go out with him, the guy was an arse to you,” Harry exclaimed.

“So was Malfoy but you seem quite keen for me to continue to see him,” she retorted.

“That’s because it’s kind of hilarious. I mean, Malfoy and you? Who’d have thought. Also, Ginny and I have that bet, we renegotiated, it’s still running,” he grinned at her tsk of anger. “And he’s almost fun when you’re around, not quite so broody at the office, but McLaggen? You don’t often give second chances for someone you date.” He turned to Draco. “You don’t seem surprised by this.”

They rounded the corner to where the Apparition point was. “I knew he would,” was all Draco said.

“Cormac said Malfoy was the one who told him I wasn’t with anybody,” Hermione clarified.

“You want her to date other people? That’s a first.” Harry scoffed.

“All the people I date are fine not being exclusive,” Hermione huffed at Harry.

“No, they’re not. They all just like you enough that they are willing to put up with whatever you can give, despite how few or far between it is,” Harry grabbed Hermione’s arm. “You can’t say you don’t know Jun-ki is in love with you.”

Hermione’s brow wrinkled. She looked like she did know but didn’t like to think about it. “I know,” she said softly.

Harry lifted the arm he held and waved her wrist at her. “You also know that Hemi is one of only three people in the world that can do this sort of magic, it’s ludicrously expensive and yet he does yours for free.”

“That’s just Hemi though, he’s so laid back, he never asks me to stay...”

“He knows you wouldn’t and doesn’t want that rejection,” Harry told her. “And remember how Jason almost attacked me when he saw us together in Melbourne?”

“I do...” she said, her eyes were now wide and it looked like this conversation had been building for a while between the two of them. Draco let it happen thinking interference would just make things worse.

“Max contacted me last week,” Harry said, releasing her arm, finally.

“Max did? I haven’t seen them in...”

“Well over three months. They were worried, near panic actually. They said they wrote you a few times.”

“I’ve been busy… I kind of thought it was over,” she trailed off.

“Well, they’re devastated. I didn’t think you’d be so careless. You can’t mess with people’s hearts like that, ‘Mione, it’s not right.”

Hermione looked shocked, it was an odd scene to witness, Potter was always on Granger’s side no matter what. This seemed dystopian in comparison.

“And then there’s me,” Harry said quietly. Hermione’s eyes cut to him but he’d looked away from her now. “Do you realise how hard it is for people to see you love me harder than you could ever love them? Remember when I called you to come back? Jun-ki just left your apartment but you didn’t even say good-bye, you were too focused on talking to me. And then you left. You just left him. I’ve seen the poems and the gifts and the letters, you can’t tell me it’s just casual for him. It’s always been an issue. Malfoy doesn’t seem to care about McLaggen or your other men, but he gets jealous of me.” Draco narrowed his eyes as they glanced at him, he crossed his arms but said nothing, he couldn’t deny it. “Even before you went away, ‘Mione, there was a reason the locket showed what it did in that forest.”

“Don’t you dare even try to talk about him, Harry.” Hermione said, voice cutting and ice cold.

“All right,” Harry said, backing off. “That’s it for now. I’m going to the office. Malfoy, if I could see you when you arrive?” Potter didn’t even wait for a reply before whisking himself away.

Draco looked at Hermione who seemed stunned. He waited for an indication from her whether he should stay or go. Her head was hung and she stared at the floor, blinking forcefully.

“Thank you,” she said, finally.

“What for now?” he replied, acting glib since he was uncomfortable.

“Harry does that sometimes, thinks and thinks before he says anything, but he never controls where or when it is said. I guess thank you for not leaving or interrupting. I don’t really know... just thank you,” she lifted her head up and Draco as struck with the openness in her face. She was struggling a lot, her resolve to hold it together vibrating through her.

“Didn’t seem my place,” he answered.

“Are you really jealous of Harry?” she asked.

Draco looked at her. He knew that his answer meant that Hermione would then have to accept everything else Potter said as true. He wouldn’t lie though so he nodded.

“Why?”

“Because you forget me when he’s around,” It was true. Their conversations revolved around each other and they laughed, smiled and touched all the time. When you had basked in the glow of Hermione’s undivided attention, coming up short next to Potter was difficult.

“I’ve been told that before,” she said, a quiet tremble in her voice. “It’s simply not true, I know I’m intense, but would it shock you that I think about you all the time. Even when I’m talking to Harry, I’m thinking about you. I don’t know that I should, but I do.”

He could tell that she hated admitting that. He didn’t know why he was so insecure about Potter, he’d seen inside her head and knew what she said was true, but it seemed he had to keep reminding himself of the fact. He wouldn’t let her know how much he thought about her, which was constantly. He had been revolving his life around her for so long that Justin now sat in a hospital bed because of it.

“We should stop this,” he said abruptly.

She knew what he meant, he could tell by the widening of her eyes and the jittery shake of her hand.  
“Oh... OK.” was all she could manage, then she Apparated away.

Draco stood still for a while. He registered that they had been standing in rather an obvious, public place but he couldn’t recall how many people had gone around them or come in while they were talking. He needed his head clear for a few days and he would spend them at home by himself, and he was still determined to stave off sex this week. How had they gone from raunchy role play to cutting ties in the space of only a few hours? 

He’d been asleep in her bed not long ago, what was wrong with him? Sleeping with a girl but not _sleeping_ with them? Staying somewhere other than his house? Being jealous? None of these things were him and he wanted to get back to the person he’d been where he’d been sure of himself and life was simple. A time when his distraction didn’t put someone in hospital. When he looked up at the stars he didn’t want to see metaphors, only the dying light of somewhere far away.

Sighing, he Apparated to his home and changed out of the clothes from Hermione’s place to put on his own robes. He paused before Incendio-ing them then Floo’d to the office where havoc reigned. People were rushing everywhere, and news of the attack clearly had the department calling everyone in early to start with the clean-up. He decided to ignore Potter’s request to go see him and headed to his own office to begin helping with the fallout and paperwork this incident caused.

The office was mayhem with almost the whole team running around sending off memos and organising sheafs of parchment, writing upon them hastily.

“Malfoy, thank Merlin, there’s about thirty memos that you need to look over and I could really use your help with the _Daily Prophet_ , they’re being right arses about everything as per usual,” Terry said, very irritated.

“Get me the memos first, I’ll sort them for priority and then get Hodgkiss from Media Liaison up here, she’s their best at dealing with the press, she’ll know what to do,” Draco ordered back. Terry nodded and collected the memos before heading out the door. Draco sat at the large table in the room so people could ask him things easily as he sorted out the memos.

Shacklebolt had requested a full report as soon as possible. The Magical Artifact Retrieval Squad had confirmed the bomb was of Muggle construction and mostly not magical. The Obliviators had sent word that 176 people had needed memory modification from the wizards Apparating in and out of the scene. His boss at the Law Enforcement office had sent him something about the warrant for the arrest of Baldric Franco, he’d been sighted and they’d sent some people from another Auror team out after him. There was also a memo from the Department of Mysteries that just said, ‘No’ and promptly burst into flames after ten seconds.

The others were all along similar veins, wanting approval for various ordinances and some just wanting information. Draco organized and looked over the reports Terry had written up and added notes from the extra information he had got from the memos.

With everyone’s hard work the majority of the collateral damage had been sorted out and things were starting to calm down again when Penny Hodgkiss arrived looking resplendent in a pale blue set of robes that showed off her physique beautifully. It was a shame she was so affected otherwise he might have liked her.

“Draco, darling,” she said, sweeping into the office. “How is it I am commanded into your stunning presence?” she glided in and sat just so in the chair and twirled her fingers just so to appear at her most charming and laughed and smiled _just so_ that tended to turn heads and have men’s gazes trailing in her wake. Draco couldn’t help but see her as anything but a pale imitation of Granger and that she had to try so hard to be this charming but with Granger it was so innate. He grimaced that he was yet again thinking about her. Having a break from her would be good for him, it had to be. If it meant he wouldn’t be so distracted, of course it was a good thing. Still Hodgkiss was very good at her job and her smarmy gilded air kept the media outlets in her pocket.

“Here’s everything,” Draco said, pushing the stack of parchment over to her. Terry had sat on her other side and seemed rather entranced despite himself at the woman’s presence. Draco felt an eager impulse to run. “We don’t need another crucifixion on this department, we need you to spin and spin well.”

“Well, a girl could easily find herself capable of this, if a promise of dinner was acquired...” she flitted her eyelashes at him. Pausing her lips just fucking so to appear sexy and alluring. Except it wasn’t to him. They had slept together a couple times over two years ago and she was someone who relied on her beauty to be attractive and so didn’t try in the bedroom at all. She made all the right noises, sure, but that was it, how fake it all was had made Draco’s skin crawl at the time.

Luckily for Draco, Potter had just come in, “I thought I asked you to come see me, Malfoy?” he said, crossing his arms and leaning against the wall.

“Oh, hello, Harry,” Penny purred.

“Hodgkiss,” he said back, staring at Draco.

“Sorry, Penny, boss is calling,” Draco said, extracting himself from his chair and near bolting from the room, ignoring her cooing at his back.

Harry’s demeanour changed once they were in his office. He was excited and broke into a large grin. “Sorry about that earlier, Malfoy, I had to do it. But did you see her? She never argued with me, once! Normally it takes half an hour or so of debate before she accepts what I’ve said. When I saw how much she liked you though, I knew she’d hear me.” He was pacing his office, looking a little manic. “I know you know already how she feels about you, but really, Malfoy, I’ve been waiting for this for so long. There’s been this undercurrent of misery for years and it hurt to look at her sometimes with how sad she’d look. When she's around you she shines brighter than I’ve seen since... well that night on New Years’. She was so beautiful that night, you’ve no idea.”

Draco sighed. “Shouldn’t we focus on sorting this bomb mess out, it’s a lot more important than Granger’s personal happiness.”

Harry stopped and looked at him oddly, “Nothing is more important than Hermione’s happiness,” he said, confused. “I thought you knew that, too. It’s why I did what I did. And we’ve done everything we can for the incident last night, there are only so many Auror teams we can send out and-“ he broke off, Hermione’s red origami crane had flapped through the messages slot and Harry held out a hand for it, letting it unfold.

His smile left immediately. He jerked his head up to look at Draco. “You ended things with her?!” he asked, incredulous, voice dark with anger as the crane flew back out again.

“We weren’t together, there was nothing to end,” he replied coolly.

“Are you a fucking idiot or something?” Harry spoke low and hard, he was livid.

“No, Potter, I am not an idiot. Granger is complicated and fucked up. I don’t want to have to deal with it anymore,” he said as bluntly as possible in hopes of having the subject dropped. It did not work.

“And you’re so bloody easy yourself?” Harry narrowed his eyes at him. “Are you so dense that you would actually throw away the one thing that has made you smile since you started here? Maybe ever.”

“It’s not that simple, Potter, and don’t think you know me because you don’t,” Draco told the other man in a warning voice. He was starting to get angry now. Bloody do-gooders, always thinking they’re right, always thinking they’re _in_ the right and imposing it on everyone else when they should just leave well enough alone. Granger had options, she’d be fine, but he couldn’t stand being aware of her all the time. She never did anything he thought she would. It was exciting but also exhausting and got people hurt in his distraction. He wanted to go back to casual sex and always being in control, always _knowing_ what he was doing and what would happen.

“So I’ve relegated myself down a step for nothing? I should have known, once a Malfoy, always a fucking Malfoy,” he spat the words out, sounding disgusted.

“Relegated yourself? What the fuck does that mean?” Draco drawled.

“It means I made myself lesser in her life to make room for you, she wouldn’t abandon me herself, she would always put me first unless I gave her indication that it was OK. I thought you’d get it since you went through hell back then, a different hell to the one we were in, but it was a hellscape nonetheless. The nightmares we have, the catatonia, the- I shouldn’t tell you anything because you claim not to care. You make me fucking sick.”

“I get it, but two fucked up people don’t make a sane one. Isn’t it OK for me to want something simple, something undamaged in the war and beyond? Someone who hasn’t been tortured at my fucking house by my fucking aunt? ”

Harry stared at him, chest heaving, voice low with rage. “Malfoy,” he said eventually, “you protected us then. That was brave. I thought you might be brave now, to help someone you love-”

“I don’t love her,” Draco stated. He’d been falling but wasn’t there yet, so his words were fierce and true, Potter inhaled at the comment. “I don’t,” Draco said again. And he didn’t, he’d been falling and fast, he’d almost hit the ground. Granger needed a lot more than he could give and he’d been selfish wanting someone he knew would love him unconditionally. She would have. Granger would have. He didn’t think anyone deserved to love him after everything. He had himself or no one.

“You think that’s true?” Harry said, he sounded stunned.

Draco knew he hadn’t said anything and gave him a suspicious look.

“You think I don’t know that expression? Me? The guy who famously grew up an orphan? You don’t think Hermione understands it?”

“Why would she?’ Draco said, scathingliy.

Harry looked taken aback. “She didn’t tell you? Obviously, I put a lot more stock in her faith in you if she hasn’t told you anything. I thought her being happy partially meant she was opening up, clearly not. Same bastard who threatened her safety at the Quidditch World Cup and taught her to know the meaning of the word ‘Mudblood’, you know she had no idea what it meant until you called her that. Well fucking done,” Harry said. There was a pause. Harry was spilling words he’d clearly wanted to say for years.

Draco thought Granger would have encountered the word already in their second year since it was bantered around often enough in the Slytherin common room. He didn’t really know anything about her it turned out.

“None of this is changing my mind, Potter,” he told his colleague.

“Well, all of it is changing my mind. Shit, I ingratiated my favourite people with you. Fuck! Fuck, Malfoy!” Harry had started pacing again. He was running a hand though his hair and breathing erratically. “It may not be a big deal to you, but letting you meet my family was a big fucking deal. That’s Hermione’s family, too, you know.”

“Not really, everything with us is figurative,” Draco shrugged. He refused to feel bad when he’d reached a logical, sound decision. Granger relied on Harry, she was screwed up from the war and from whatever had happened with Weasley. Why should he get caught up in it? He had his own shit to sort.

“That IS Hermione’s family,” Harry insisted. “I’m her family, I brought her back, I encouraged her. Fuck... I have to go, I have to go to her. I won’t deal with you anymore.”

“I don’t know if you noticed, Potter, but there’s a fucking shitstorm here, you’re needed,” Draco told him.

Harry curled his lip in a face Draco hadn’t seen since school. “Don’t tell me what I should or shouldn’t do, my priorities are more certain than yours are. As you were, Malfoy... clearly,” he acidly spat out.

Draco took a step in and replied, “I’m not some pet project for you, oh holier than thou Saint Potter. I don’t need saving,” he stepped in further and shoved Harry’s shoulder. “You butt in where you’re not wanted. You want me to step up and be someone in her life, then fucking _let_ it happen, don’t force it. You’re fucking right I’m running away, I don’t want to get mixed up with your weird co-dependent shit.”

Harry was glaring at him like he hadn’t since sixth year at school, the wand clenched in his hand, shaking as if he was trying to control himself from using it.

The door opened before anything further could be said.

Hermione stepped out from behind the door, she looked at the scene in front of her both Malfoy and Harry clearly furious with each other. She seemed tired. Harry gave her a look of concern and flicked his gaze again to Malfoy who was looking away determinedly.

She walked over to Harry and her origami crane fell open with a message. Harry read it.

He placed a hand on her forehead, “Are you OK?” but she brought his hand down, squeezing before dropping it. “Alright, I’ll return this before I pop by,” he finished gesturing to the note. Hermione just nodded and Floo’d away.

“She didn’t say anything,” Malfoy said once she’s gone.

“Yeah, she can travel by Floo wordlessly if she knows the place well enough,” Harry said distractedly. That’s not what Draco had meant but Potter seemed more calm now. Harry put the red note down on his desk and rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. “Sorry for being such an arse, too much has happened today, I took it out in the wrong places.”

“For what it’s worth I said some things I probably could have been more… delicate about,” Malfoy replied. He weirdly felt better about everything like a blockage was released giving him revived determination for the rest of the no doubt awful day ahead.

Fingering the edge of the note Harry sighed. “She says it is for the best. She’s working from home the rest of the day, she must have exhausted herself since she’s lost her voice.” He sighed, pushing up from his desk and leaving the office.

Draco remained behind taking a cautious step forward and leaning over to read the note. It read:  
_“Dear Harry,  
Don’t be mad at him, it really was for the best.  
Everything is set up for you, just signatures needed. Hodgkiss has been dealt with.  
Voice gone, going to work from home for the rest of the day.  
Come by when you can.  
H”_

A bubble of acidic guilt swelled up against the iron will in his gut, bursting upon it to try weaken his resolve. She took her voice away again. To stop from screaming.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes when I write surprising occurrences happen. This was one of them. As I wrote this chapter, I didn't think Draco would end things with Hermione but it seemed more in this version of his character to do what he did even when it made me very sad to write it.
> 
> Thank you for reading!


	21. Chapter 21

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hermione deals with her feelings in the aftermath of a spectacularly bad morning. 
> 
> To those who need it, no reconciliation occurs this chapter.

Hermione got to her place, stumbling out of the fireplace. She was exhausted. She’d made sure not only to do her job but also Malfoy’s and Harry’s while they were ensconced in the other office. Working furiously so she could leave and go home for the rest of the day. She had thoughtlessly sent off her crane asking Harry if she could work with him directly rather than Malfoy. She should have realised Harry would read between the lines.

She had zombie walked to her couch and sunk into it, hugging a cushion on her lap. She felt incredibly sad, a weight pulling inside her, forcing her to slump, head hanging and eyes glassy. This is exactly what she’d been afraid of, why she tried not to feel too much with those she dated. She thought back to what Harry had said and a stab of guilt pressed into her slowly, hot and sizzling. 

She had been ghosting Max for months now. It had died for her and she’d never found the time to tell them. They were delicate and she’d been careless. She’d go see them soon. She’d have to.

She’d been taking advantage of Hemi as well. She created a memo charm addressed to her company requesting a dividend release and to then send 75,000 kōura, the New Zealand wizarding currency, to the talented tattoo enchanter. She asked to include a note apologising for not sending this previously and that the bonus was to thank him for his work. She cast a Disillusionment charm on it that would dissipate when it reached its destination.

Her thoughts turned to Jun-ki. She remembered the way he would look at her through dark lashes, how accommodating he always was, how he would hook his pinky with hers when they were researching their next innovation. She’d known that Jun-ki’s feelings had been increasing over the months, and before she had left Korea they had spent a lot of time together. She hadn’t checked in on their arrangement in a while and she felt awful about it. She cursed herself that she hadn’t fallen for him instead. They worked so well together, he was intelligent and exciting and led her down paths of magic she had never considered before. He was amazing in bed and great fun to hang out with. She wondered what would have happened if Harry hadn’t called her back and she had stayed in Seoul. She wondered if her time with Jun-ki had secretly cracked open her heart and made her susceptible to what was going on with Malfoy.

She grimaced. Well, nothing was going on anymore. Sharp pain slicing her like papercuts all over making the hair on her arms rise up. She hugged herself. She didn’t know what had happened exactly, but something clearly had. He had looked at her like he used to, unmoved, gray eyes empty of any affection. She felt it rise again like it had been ever since he opted out of her life. A throat-constricting scream like she was falling hundreds of stories with no safety net. She’d flung herself into work and done everything she could until there was nothing left except the scream, so she took her voice away.

Why had he decided that? So suddenly, too. He’d been talking to Cormac, had he said something? Hermione doubted anything anyone said would have influenced Malfoy though, that just wasn’t how he operated. Did he feel guilt over what happened to Justin like she did? 

She thought they’d been doing so well. They’d had less work over the weekends, less overtime. They’d been intercepting more low-level items and catching those that were smuggling them. They nearly had Le Roux exactly where they wanted him. They had underestimated his operation. Or maybe she had overestimated her abilities. And now Justin and Sy were in the hospital. Hot tears tracked down her face as she remembered Justin looking so ill in the hospital. Her fear of the clinical white space crushing her as she had sat there, trying so hard not to think about who else was in the space just a few corridors away.

She clutched the pillow to her chest as wracking sobs convulsed through her. Just a couple minutes and then she’d get back to work. 

Before she could even pull the files out of her bag though, the Floo roared and Ginny stepped out. Hermione just stared at her with helpless eyes. 

“Ginny Weasley is one fine-ass bitch,” Ginny said softly and sadly to disengage the alarm before crossing the floor and sitting next to Hermione enveloping her in a hug. Hermione clung onto her like a lifeline.

Ginny rearranged herself so she was nestled next to Hermione and could stroke her hair. “Harry let me know what happened, everything that happened,” she huffed, annoyed at her fiancée for pulling that thread at such an inopportune moment. “I had practice, or I would have been here sooner.”

Hermione sat back and shook her head, a furrow on her brow telling Ginny that it was fine. Eyes shining with gratitude for her company.

“You don’t want to talk?” Ginny guessed. Hermione nodded slowly. 

Ginny gave her a small smile. “That’s OK, you know I can talk enough for the both of us.”

Hermione wavered a smile at her friend.

“You’re in no condition to work today, though. With everything you do for that team, you’re going to take the day off.” Ginny wrote a note with all caps that read _“HERMIONE’S TAKING THE DAY OFF, ARSEHOLES!”_ and went to the Floo sprinkling in the green powder before sticking her head in the Floo and there was a brief pause before she said “I don’t care about your godsforsaken confidentiality! Here, since you need it in writing so badly-” before handing the note to someone. 

There was a brief pause, Ginny’s lower half wiggling around as she looked at various people beyond the grate, then she spoke: “I don’t know Blaise, _are_ you an arsehole?” she turned to Hermione who shook her head. Ginny swivelled again. “OK, apparently you are not an arsehole, but you two definitely are!” she snarled at them, stomping her foot on Hermione’s hearth before ending the call.

“OK sorted,” Ginny said, standing up and starting to chat idly. She spoke about an article Luna had sent her about a strange mushroom creature population she thought had taken up residence under her kitchen sink while pouring Hermione and herself a wine, walking over to place them on the coffee table. She gossiped about the various affairs and romances her teammates and other Quidditch people were having with each other while grabbing a blanket and selecting a board game then going to the TV cabinet and choosing a movie, popping the DVD in and slowly manipulating the remote to turn it on, frowning when the screen remained blank. 

Hermione gently took it from her and got the correct channel up. 

“I picked another all-girls British boarding school one,” Ginny said, sipping her wine. “I’m not sure if I would have loved or hated school without the boys around.”

Hermione made a face at her. Ginny laughed. “You’re right, boys suck.” They clinked their glasses together in a cheers and took a large sip.

Bouncy pop music blared from the TV with garish pink and purple graphics as the movie’s intro began. 

Ginny turned to her holding up the board game box. “Now are you ready to be annihilated by my empire?”

Hermione raised an eye with a sardonic look and began setting it up. Trust Ginny to know the best way to get her out of her spiral was to force her into competition. She hated losing.

About halfway through the movie Hermione uncharmed her voicebox after Ginny had infuriatingly misinterpreted her hand signals to indicate what she wanted to do in the game. Most likely on purpose. 

“Uh-uh, Gin, you’re not just gonna sneak that away from me,” she warned, laughing at Ginny’s accompanying noises to the game, making explosions and bangs as she whizzed over the board.

Ginny grinned at her friend in silent victory that she had got Hermione to talk. She got up, backing away from Hermione and heading for the kitchen. Her hands raised, she goaded, “Whatcha gonna do about it, Granger?”

Hermione laughed. Ginny and she were ridiculously competitive during board games. She watched as Ginny reached into the fridge and brought back the bottle of wine, jumping on the couch and topping them both up. Hermione felt a surge of admiration for her friend who just poked her tongue out at her. 

“Thank you, Ginny. I’m lucky to have you,” Hermione said, grabbing her friend’s hand.

“Not lucky enough to escape my unyielding domination!” Ginny exclaimed, pointing at the move she just made.

“Ah, nooo!” Hermione yelled, conceding defeat. “Well, then here’s to you, Empress. Long may you reign.” They toasted again and gave a big gulp.

They continued watching the movie as it devolved past fast romp into ridiculousness. Then there was a scene with theme park rides and Ginny ogled the screen. 

“‘Mione, what _is_ that?” Her friend seemed incredibly enthralled.

In a better headspace now, Hermione quirked an eyebrow. What better way to distract herself than to fly in the face of gravity?

“Got anywhere to be, Gin?” she asked. The other witch just looked at her with an interested expression.

“No, what did you have in mind?”

“I know somewhere you can experience that, you want to head there?” Hermione said with a glint of adventure in her eye.

“Seriously? That would be awesome!” Ginny exclaimed. She began running up Hermione’s stairs. “I’ll get supplies, you write a note for Harry.”

Hermione laughed at her friend. She wrote a note to sit upon her coffee table addressed to Harry for when he stopped by. 

_”Harry, gone to find a rollercoaster.  
I’ll have her back to you later on.  
\- H”_

Hermione felt bad that she told Harry to come by just to abscond with his fiancée instead, but his words were still fresh in their flagellation upon her. She thought a distraction would do her well.

Ginny came downstairs with one of Hermione’s Expandable Bags eyes flashing excitedly. “So, where are we off to?”

Hermione just grinned and Side-Alonged her.

* * *

“Oh no, no, no, nooo, nooooooo, NOOOOOO!” Ginny screamed as the rollercoaster inversed on its drop and hurtled them through the air. Ginny’s wild laughter rang through Hermione and she found herself screaming with her friend. It was very cathartic. 

When the ride was over, Ginny was wobbly with adrenaline. “Wow, that was like being on a broom without being able to actually control it!” Ginny exclaimed. She was so excited, it made Hermione wish that their schedules had lined up while she was away for them to have adventures.

Hermione showed her the various rides around the park until she was near feeling sick from vertigo. It definitely had been a brilliant distraction though, adrenaline fizzing through her system. For once in a long while she wasn’t thinking about anything let alone her lovers, work, Harry or the darkness she pushed down when she thought about _him_ in hospital.

As the park was shutting down for the day, Hermione Apparated them back to Grimmauld Place but Ginny Apparated them again to a favourite pub of theirs. Grabbing them drinks as they slumped at the bar. The owner had kept themselves busy at the other end.

“Thank you for today ‘Mione, but you know you can’t drop me off before talking about what happened,” she said, giving her friend a hard look.

Hermione’s face crumpled. “I don’t know Gin. I don’t know what I did. I was so close you know, and I screwed it up.” She took a gulp of her drink.

“So close to what?” Ginny asked softly.

“So close to loving someone again, even saying that to his sister feels like betrayal,” Hermione slugged back her drink.

Ginny looked at her in sorrow. “It’s been two years and there’s been no change, no one’s expecting you to hold your life in stasis forever.”

Hermione smiled weakly. 

“Do you know what went wrong?” Ginny queried. “Maybe it’s just a miscommunication and we can fix it.”

Hermione shook her head. “No, he’s resolute in his decision, he will refuse influence from anyone, he relies on his own judgment most of the time. And anyway, it might be what happened to Justin or maybe it’s just me, I scared him off.”

Ginny took her hand in a gesture of solidarity.

“I’m really sorry, ‘Mione,” she rubbed her thumb over Hermione’s hand. 

“It will be OK,” Hermione said, gazing at the way Ginny was lazily making spirals on her. It was nice, comforting. “I think it’s better for me to know now. That he runs when things are hard. It would have been worse to find out later on.”

“What about your others? Could you maybe ask Jun-ki to come spend some time with you?” 

Hermione pouted a little. “As much as I would like to, we talked a couple days ago, and he had a big contract to sort out. It would also be unfair of me to ask something so big when we are supposed to be casual.”

“Maybe you don’t need to be casual,” Ginny queried. “You seem to really like Jun-ki.”

“I do,” Hermione sighed. “That’s why I would hate to use him as a rebound.”

“Hm…” Ginny pondered more. “What about the others?”

Hermione shifted uncomfortably bringing her hand back into her lap. “Harry pointed out I haven’t been treating my lovers very nicely lately. I’ve already let Jason go, and I’ve taken steps to make my relationship with Hemi professional only. And poor Max, I will have to go talk to them. I’ll have to end things with them. I really don’t want to do the same with Jun-ki, but his feelings may not be able to sustain it long term and we are both so busy we barely get to see each other anyway.”

“And things with the Italian?” Ginny raised her eyebrows.

“That’s… different.” Hermione took another sip but didn’t elaborate further.

Ginny looked at her searchingly. “Maybe you need some new blood, make everything fresh again. You have Harry and I now to recognise if they are starting to get in too deep.”

“Maybe I should say yes to Cormac,” Hermione said, running her hand through her hair.

“Cormac McLaggen? That might be a good start, he’s a total cad. A handsome, arrogant, doctor cad,” Ginny finished her drink and wiggled it at the bartender for another. She came over quickly, the bar was practically empty with only a few people on the other side of the room.

Hermione smiled weakly. “Maybe, you’re right. To be honest I’m so upset at what happened to Justin and then being blindsided by both Harry and Malfoy, I can’t separate out how sad I am about each one.”

Ginny stared at her. “OK, up. We are going to dance away your funk.” Hermione got reluctantly to her feet, but the light in the place was dim enough and the late-night stragglers had raised the volume of the music anyway. And there was no getting past Ginny. “Hestia, queue up _Sugar Devil_!”

The proprietor obliged. The song that was on faded and a new beat started. Hermione grinned and Ginny grabbed her arms in a haphazard dance until Hermione was laughing. The familiar song making Hermione remember Italy with fondness and the Fortescue mission with less enthusiasm. She moved closer to Ginny.

“This song reminds me so much of Italy. You were supposed to meet me there, remember?”

Ginny nodded and pouted theatrically that her team had pulled a surprise training camp for the semi finals instead. “This is my favourite song!” she explained to Hermione, “Mika Fox is my pass card.”

Hermione almost choked on her drink in surprise. “Mika Fox?” she garbled.

“Yeah,” Ginny continued. “She sings this, I love everything she did before she disappeared. I think that’s why Harry is OK with it. He doesn’t reckon she’s coming back. Do you like it?”

“I love it,” Hermione bounced around the place with her friend. Ginny was singing along, and Hermione was laughing.

The song finished and Ginny tried to request another song, but Hermione pulled her away, thanking the owner who just smiled and shook her head at them.

They finished their drinks up and Ginny escorted Hermione home. Seeing the configuration of her lounge reminded Hermione of the times Malfoy had stayed over so she flicked a wand to transfigure the couch into a cosy armchair and ottoman and replaced the other chair with and L-shaped couch, arranging them so the room had a different flow from before. She also pointed at the Floo password device and removed his name from the list.

As she lowered her wand, Ginny gently grabbed her arm, “You’re gonna be OK, Hermione. Get a good night’s sleep, alright?”

“Thank you so much, Ginny. Seriously, you were so amazing today.” Hermione enveloped her friend in a hug. As they slid back, Ginny ducked in to give Hermione a quick peck on the lips as she had been doing lately.

“Anytime. You’re very loved, you know,” she replied. She dropped her arms and waved Hermione a quick goodbye before Flooing back to her own house.

The silence in Hermione’s apartment echoed around her making her feel hollow and small. She swished her wand and put on some relaxing music. She went upstairs, changing into a comfy oversized sweater and turned to the bed wafting her wand so the bedclothes whipped off and were replaced. Still not satisfied, she transfigured the bed to the same style she had in Korea, a metal bedframe of white and gold and a mattress that sunk below the frame’s design.

She got under the covers, making sure she was comfortable. Pointing her wand at herself, she cast the Meditation charm she had used on Harry recently. As the warm, comforting effect surrounded her she sunk into the waiting oblivion.

But it didn’t come, it happened sometimes when she cast it on herself. It just wouldn’t work because her brain was too distracted. She sighed. 

Hermione waved her hand so she could see the stars again but tonight all she found was the blackness between the balls of light. Her side table lit up. It was her call mirror.

She picked it up with a slow smile and lit some bedside candles.

“Hey,” her voice breathed out and she reined in the emotions that threatened to overtake her again.

“Hello noona, how are you?” Jun-ki replied. He was clearly just waking up, his voice more hoarse than usual and he was blinking as if his eyes were still getting used to being open.

“I’m OK darling, you look so tired. How are you doing?” Jun-ki called me most mornings but he usually gamed all through the weekend so she usually didn’t hear from him then. 

“We got the contract signed, I will be moving to Malaysia for a while.” He was mumbling in his elbow. It was adorable.

Hermione smiled at him. “That’s wonderful news. Chughahabnida.” She kept her voice quiet and slow as she congratulated Jun-ki, letting him wake up properly.

He half-smiled at her. She loved his lips, plump and soft, she wished they were together right now. 

“Jun-ki?” she would hate herself if she didn’t ask. 

“Mm?” his sleepy reply came.

“Are you still OK with our arrangement darling?” she watched the smallest furrowed appear on his forehead. He was holding the mirror in his hand above him so she had a top-down view of his face. His long eyelashes closed over his cheek as he swam in the grace period between dream and lucidity.

“Ye, noona. Saranghae. But it is OK.” His words breathed in a slow cadence. He did love her, but he didn’t care. It broke her heart, another crack splitting it open further. 

“You’ll tell me if it gets too much?” she whispered, not trusting her vocal chords not to betray her.

“This works best for me. Difficult to date when I am so busy. When the Ministry signs I will come see you. Might be a while.” He was quiet and she watched him breathe through the glass, the Seoul morning making its way through the blinds. She thought he might have fallen asleep again but eventually he groaned and sat up, looking back at where he held the mirror. One eye closed at the sun’s intrusion, the other blinking. He stretched and she saw his room was meticulously clean as ever.

He scratched the top of his head, yawning and looking up at her. 

“Want to take a shower with me, noona?” his cheeky half-smile spread across his face. Hermione grinned, whipping the bedclothes off her and walking to her bathroom. 

“That sounds wonderful darling.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wanted to do a short chapter that focused solely on Hermione to process how she's feeling. 
> 
> Thank you for reading!


	22. Chapter 22

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A chapter showing more of the fallout from Draco ending things with Hermione and answers to some questions involving why Hermione left after the terrorist attack on New Years a few years ago.
> 
> For those that need the warning, there is still no reconciliation in this chapter, however I would read this chapter when you decide to come back as it has some important information.

When Draco woke in the morning, he blew out a long exhalation. His flat felt dull, colder than he remembered it. She had never even been here and yet she’d sucked the life out of it. And gods damn it, he felt that familiar tug in his gut that shouted at him to go see her. He growled, angry with himself. Hauling his feet out of bed, he started getting ready for the day. 

Her ghost followed him around as he did so. His mind replaying moments together. As much as he told himself it wasn’t a break-up, it may as well have been. He shook the thoughts away refocusing on what awaited him today.

Work yesterday hadn’t been quite so hellish as he expected, Granger had done everything so efficiently that five signatures from him and everything had been sorted. But he wasn’t looking forward to today. He remembered the note that Granger had left Potter that she’d taken away her voice. He probably shouldn’t have put a stop to their flirtation at that moment when so much was going on. But it happened and now it was over before it could properly begin. 

A clammy grip descended upon him as he thought about how she might treat him today. He shook it away, focusing on something else.

He had concerns about Potter and Granger working so closely together. Potter had been entirely too distracted by Granger; he had endangered all the progress they had made. Had Hodgkiss caught a whiff of their conversation they would have been absolutely screwed. If Granger hadn’t done all their work for them, he had no idea how far behind they would have been.

Of course, Granger had helped all she could no matter how she was feeling. McLaggen had been right. Even though he and Harry had treated her so poorly yesterday, she still did everything she could to make their lives easier. 

He took longer to get ready today than usual. He was hoping that someone would get to the office before him. He wanted to avoid any potential that he and Granger would be alone.

When he did arrive, he found Patil and Corner there already and at the opposite end of the table Blaise and Granger. A chorus of ‘Mornings’ sounded out, including from Granger. He gave her a quick glance and she just shrugged at him with a tiny smile. It was an offer to carry on as before they had started hanging out and his shoulders released their tension. He quickly made a coffee before heading to his office. 

Sitting in his chair, he felt an unfamiliar bump on his leg. Looking beneath the recess of his desk, he found a basket. Lifting it to rest on top of his desk he picked up the note that lay on top. It read: 

_Draco,  
Do what you will.  
I thought I should give you the option.  
New Floo Password: I am here on business.  
\- H. Granger_

While short, the note provided a lot of information. Using his first name she was absolving her promise to only use it inside the bedroom. She would be treating him the same as everyone else in the office now. Quickly glancing in the basket, he saw the green cashmere jersey with the golden constellation she’d gifted him for his birthday as well as various other things he’d left at her place. A notebook, an odd sock and other various clothing pieces as well as a quill with a silver filigree nib. He could decide whether to keep her gift or not, he thought maybe he shouldn’t but the thought made him feel sick so he decided to figure it out later. The new Floo password was a signal of how she would prefer their interactions to be going forward as well as stating rather definitively that his presence at her house was unwelcome unless it pertained to work. He couldn’t help but feel a stab of hurt and disappointment, though this was what he’d wanted, right?

For the trip to France later this week they really weren’t going to have to pretend to be stilted and awkward around each other, it would come very naturally.

He opened the report that Terry had made about the criminal from the concert, Baldric Franco, to go over what had been discovered. After scouring the pages, it was a bit disheartening that no new information had come to light. Draco could sense Boot’s frustration as ink blots became a regular feature on the later pages.

He stood up to take the file to Corner and Patil to also go over to see if anything jumped out at them in terms of the research they were doing. When he headed back though, Blaise flagged him down. 

“Malfoy, we may have something to propose,” Blaise told him. He hadn’t hung out with Blaise in a while. It may be good to go out for a drink with him soon.

“OK,” Draco replied with a nod, pulling up a chair on the side so he could see them both. Granger was still jotting down notes on a piece of parchment and hadn’t looked at him.

“We think we may have an idea to help our tracking problem,” Blaise began.

“ _You_ had a brilliant idea, Blaise. I was just throwing words around.” Granger interrupted, not taking a break from her writing.

“Thank you, Hermione, but we both know you did more than that,” he gave her a quick smile which she side-eyed and returned. Turning back to Draco, Blaise leaned an elbow on the back of Granger’s chair. “Anyway, we think we might have found a way to track them even when they lose their magical signature. It shouldn’t even be too expensive other than our time and energy. We want to charm some office memos to be Disillusioned as well as have the magical signature receiver on them, but we will also attach a call mirror to be permanently activated to each one. The idea being that the memos will follow the item when it has a magical signature but track on movement afterwards. We may need a few memos for each item though as contingencies in case one tracks the wrong person.”

“Blaise’s idea could have even further-reaching applications,” Granger piped up, seemingly concentrating on something she had written down. “It could also be used for high flight risk parolees, security work, even things like conservation efforts. I’m sure we could modify for a whole range of options once the base charms are created and perfected.”

Draco rested his head in his chin, thinking. It would be a good idea, but there were a lot of problems.

“The Ministry memos are warded against Disillusionment though,” he said. “It would cost too much for us to commission a batch without the charm not to mention breach the confidentiality of this project.”

Blaise just looked to Granger who brought her head up in an almost blank way. Draco could see her brain working through a number of calculations and permutations.

“Oh, yeah, I was able to disable that my first week at the Ministry,” she said, offhandedly.

“Of course you did,” Draco’s voice was sardonic but she just quirked her mouth, not taking offense. “That’s a lot of spells you will need on one object though. They could interfere with each other blowing our cover.”

“That’s why we have this,” Granger replied with a flourish. She held out the piece of parchment with notes and a couple of diagrams on it. It showed what they needed to bind the spells together to work as a single magical force rather than something with multiple ways to fail. It was incredibly thorough and Draco could see they could even make a patent out of it.

“Alright, how will the call mirror work then? I didn’t even know you had one Granger,” Draco asked, curious.

“Oh, she uses it all the time,” Blaise said. “It’s what gave me the idea in the first place.”

“I’ve never seen it,” Draco said, wracking his brain if he had seen the silver disk anywhere.

“I usually keep it at home,” Granger acknowledged.

“Last couple of questions; how do we find where the tracking is coming from? I don’t think we will be able have someone manning it at all times and where will we safely keep such a large array of mirrors to track all the memos?”

Blaise just grinned. “Hermione has us covered there as well of course.”

“I’ll configure the outgoing mirrors to one here. I can set it to have channels to swipe through for the different memo mirrors if they have chased different things. I will do a training session once they are all set up to show you and whoever you give access to. As for the tracking itself, we will use this-” she pulled out a rectangular silver box and lifted its lid. Pressing a button, it whirled to life with a ward springing up around it.

“This is called a laptop and has been magically modified by a friend, it just arrived. I thought I would need it for something else, but… anyway it is useful now,” she mumbled. “It will be able to connect anywhere depending on reception. There is a site in this that has mapping capability so we will be able to find where the memo has gone. You just need to aim the camera here on the call mirror and ask it to do a reverse image search. Then we should know where they have gone.”

It all sounded like nonsense to Draco, but he knew if Granger was confident enough in this as to request permission for it, that must mean it was doable.

“Alright, go for it. How long do you think it will take?”

Blaise and Granger looked at each other. Blaise rubbed his cheek, “Hm, with both of us, it may take a couple of days to do the prototype?” Granger nodded in agreement.

“You think you could have one ready for Wednesday before the errand we have to run for the rest of the week, Granger?”

Draco noticed Granger’s arm had jerked when he mentioned their trip to France, but she nodded again.

“Maybe go to one of your homes to work on this, make sure it is heavily warded. We don’t want this getting out,” Draco told them. If this worked, it could help them an awful lot. “Good work,” he added before heading back to his office, leaving Blaise and Granger to shuffle papers together and chat about supplies they would need, preparing to head to Granger’s. 

He felt oddly relieved, hopefully he wouldn’t have to deal with Granger until Wednesday. His skin was prickling like he’d plunged into icy water, his heart heavy and thumping in a dull, painful way. 

Retreating to his office, he found a memo from the Office of the Minister for Magic. It was from Shacklebolt’s coordinator and simply stated: _”Your presence is requested with the Minister for Magic at 11am”_. Looking at the clock and seeing there were only ten minutes until that time, Draco shrunk the basket with everything inside and popped it in the pocket of his Ministry robes before locking his office and heading to the Minister. He had been hoping to have a chat to Shacklebolt about the arrangements of this project and had no idea why he was being summoned.

Arriving at the Minister for Magic’s office, he was waved through immediately. “Thank you for coming on short notice,” Shacklebolt said, finishing off a memo before steepling his fingers, appraising him. 

Draco took a seat opposite the Minister. “Actually, I was glad for the summons, I had something I wanted to speak to you about as well.”

“Oh?” Shacklebolt said. “Perhaps we should address that first then,” he sat back, listening.

“I have concerns about Potter and Granger working so closely together,” Draco stated plainly.

“Elaborate, please,” came the measured response.

“I find that when working with Granger, Potter can become more distracted for her safety than for the success of the missions. It is only her skill that has not compromised our progress.”

Shacklebolt looked at him carefully, weighing what he would say. “Hm. I thought you might say something like that.”

Draco narrowed his eyes. “Why?”

“Because I had Harry in here earlier with a request on behalf of Hermione. She would prefer to directly report to Harry rather than yourself. I wanted to bring you in here to ask exactly why my best operative would request this?” the Minister cut dark eyes at Draco.

She had asked to report to Harry instead? She must be more hurt than she was letting on, he felt a cold acid clench through him, grabbing his organs and squeezing. He ensured his features remained blank though.

“I assure you Minister, her request comes from something personal, not professional,” Draco explained but he hadn’t fully been able to hide the twinge of hurt in his voice. 

Shacklebolt looked exasperated. “I had hoped to avoid something like this. I thought your past animosity would have helped but apparently not,” the older man sighed grumbling about office romances. “However, I also agree with you. Harry was very agitated bringing this news to me.”

“You will refuse her request?” Draco asked, gritting his teeth against the bubble of hope that had risen within him.

Shacklebolt tapped a quill against the desk in thought. “No, I will not refuse it. Hermione will no longer report to either yourself or Harry. You are excused.” Shacklebolt picked up another file and Draco stood up and moved to the door, a little rattled. 

“Oh, before you go, Malfoy.” The Minister held him. “Would you send Mr. Nott to me?”

Draco nodded before shutting the door. So, the Minister was going to make a handler position for Hermione and place Theo in it. Draco was impressed by Shacklebolt’s insight. He must be keeping a close eye on them. 

Theo was a good choice as well, he’d been the only one who’d held it together properly when Granger had told them about Uzbekistan and she respected and listened to him. He cared about her, but not too much. However, he had to admit, he was hurt that Granger was pulling away from him so much. And that he’d been the one to make it happen.

* * *

When Theo came back, he went straight into Draco’s office and locked the door, a hush of a silencing charm accompanying it.

Theo sat in a chair opposite Draco blinking at him.

“Yes?” Draco questioned. He dreaded what Theo was going to ask him.

Theo ran a hand through his hair with a sigh. “What is happening, Draco? And don’t bullshit me, it is apparently now my job to look after Hermione. In order to do that, I need to know everything.”

Draco looked at his friend who appeared determined and had a look that glinted in warning if Draco tried to back out.

Draco slumped back into his chair. “Fine. What do you want to know?”

Theo leaned forward, his elbows on his knees. “So, you’ve been sleeping with Granger?”

_Straight to it then_ , Draco thought, hating to admit what he was about to. “Not in the way you mean. I’ve been… staying at her place occasionally.”

He could tell Theo was shocked. He watched Theo’s eyes shifting around trying to make sense of it.

“But-” Theo started. “You don’t do that. Never. I was in the same dorm all through school. You’ve not ever done that.”

“I am aware,” Draco replied sarcastically.

Theo cut him a dark look. “When did this start? I knew there was something going on, I just figured she had become one of your many.”

Draco sighed. “Unfortunately, it was deeper than that,” he said, wincing as the words came.

Theo scoffed. “You have no depth.” Draco raised an amused eyebrow. “Not when it comes to women, mate. What made her different?”

“I’m honestly not sure, it just happened,” Draco told his friend. But with a wry smile and shake of Theo’s head, Draco knew he wouldn’t get away with that. “You know what she’s like, she’s a mystery, I was trying to figure her out.”

Draco looked away, it didn’t seem like Theo would relent until he’d wrung everything out of Draco that he could. He could prolong this or be honest and end it quicker. Theo was waiting for him with a serious look.

“I think it was her intensity, the way she looks at you, listens to you like you’re everything in her world at that moment. I was surprised how accepting she was when she first arrived, how easy it was to hang out with her. And she just never stopped surprising me. She’s exciting and fun but also kind and considerate. You’d think since we both clearly enjoy amorous activities we would have done that already. I hate saying this, but I liked taking things slow, like it was building to this great moment when the timing was right. Honestly, we’ve only kissed but yesterday when I put a stop to everything, it felt like so much more. It still feels like that. If I’m laying everything out here, I’m not doing so well. The attack and ending things with Granger, I feel like fucking shit.”

Theo was watching him earnestly. “Do you want a hug?”

Draco laughed and Theo cracked a smile. The offer had been genuine but Draco hadn’t expected it. “No, I think I’ll be alright.”

“I’m sorry, you’re going through it, mate. Let’s grab a few drinks tonight, I’m sure Blaise and Terry would be keen as well. And don’t think I’ve forgotten that it’s your birthday tomorrow.”

“I wish you would, I really don’t feel like celebrating. And Blaise is with Granger, they’re working on something to help track the artifacts.”

“Is that why your computer is sitting out there?” Theo said.

Draco furrowed his brow. “That’s Granger’s thing, she set it up earlier.”

“Oh…” Theo shifting awkwardly in his seat. 

“What is it?” Draco asked, feeling like he probably didn’t want to know the answer.

“It’s just, well, Hermione was going to give that to you for your birthday. She showed me it when she asked what Quidditch team you support. She wanted to compile some videos of the games to show you. I can’t believe she got one to work around magic. Jacinta’s bugs out whenever I cast a spell.”

Draco rubbed his forehead. “She already gave me something, I guess she thought another gift would be too much now.”

“Really? What did she get you?”

Draco took out the basket from his inside pocket, enlarging it again. He removed the sweater and gave it to Theo. “Look at the back of it.”

Dutifully, Theo unfolded the garment and laid it upon Draco’s desk. “Oh shit, is that Gold Skein? That stuff has all kinds of protections and wards in it… Is it woven into a constellation? Oh, let me guess, it’s your constellation, right?” Draco nodded. “That is so cute! I didn’t know you had the capacity for cute.” Theo exclaimed.

“Oh fuck, stop it.” Draco groaned. “But yes, she wand-threaded it herself.”

Theo was fondling the soft material in thought. He folded it again and returned it to Draco. “Ok, I get it,” Theo said softly as he handed it back. “You were falling in love. You both were.”

Draco didn’t do or say anything, he just replaced the sweater with the rest of the items.

“So why exactly did you end it?” Theo asked, his voice carrying sympathy for what Draco was going through. 

Draco took a moment to settle himself, it was hard opening up like this and he silently thanked Theo for being understanding. “Granger and I were hanging out at her house on Saturday and she fell asleep, she woke up and was very ill. I don’t want to say exactly what happened; she can tell you if she wants. But I had no idea what to do, I couldn’t get through to her. I went straight to Potter. He got her sorted out, but it struck me how scared I was. How lost. I knew how Granger felt about me, she was giving me her heart, trusting me to carry that delicate and precious thing without crushing it. She had confessed how she felt but she didn’t expect me to reciprocate, didn’t pressure me to tell her the same. And I couldn’t even help her in that moment. Then the attack happened and like I said before, we’d become complacent. The pressure was too much. Ending things seemed like the best thing to do. I was terrified how out of control I felt, how I felt secondary to Potter, how I knew it wasn’t going to be easy with both of us having so much trauma. I wanted to go back when things were simple, and I didn’t have to deal with anything like this. It was too much.”

Theo nodded. “And how do you feel now that it’s over?”

“I regret it, I may have acted in haste. It was a moment of weakness.”

“Probably,” Theo shrugged. “Can’t say I’m surprised, compared to how you usually operate, you probably felt overwhelmed, right?”

Draco nodded. “I suppose you think I ought to go talk to her,” he mumbled.

Theo stilled with a concerned look on his face. “Uh, no. No, I really don’t think you should actually. I think you should take some time and be prepared to let this fade.” Draco looked at him, taken aback. 

Theo drummed his fingers on Draco’s desk. “I think… mate, I don’t know if Hermione will give you another chance. It would have been scary for her as well, going out on a limb for you. And she had more to lose, she told you how she felt. You knew that and you still did what you did. I don’t say this to hurt you, but I want to be honest in what expectations you should have. You’ve probably lost her trust, hence why I have been asked to be her handler. I’m not sure there’s any coming back from this.” 

The rush of panic Draco felt when Theo said caught his breath in his chest. He’d kind of just assumed that when he was ready, they’d just pick up where they left off. A crushing defeat descended upon him. Theo was right, from Granger’s perspective, she’d opened up to him and he had rejected her. She didn’t have any explanation for his sudden change of mind. Suddenly the note and the return of his possessions as well as asking to not report to him anymore... she was done with him.

“Oh shit, I’ve really fucked up,” Draco said.

“I’m sorry mate, but I think so. I need to go talk to Hermione about the new arrangement. Are you going to be OK, should I get Terry in here?” Theo had stood up, he looked worried.

“I think I just need a minute,” he replied, his tongue feeling numb in his mouth. 

“Alright, I’ll check in when I get back. I’ll tell Terry 7pm for drinks tonight.” Theo had come around the desk, placing a hand on Draco’s shoulder as a show of support. 

Draco nodded but his throat was too constricted to speak.

* * *

Hermione was laughing with Blaise as they tried to catch a wayward memo that was periodically going in and out of invisibility when the rush of the Floo came and Theo stepped out using his newly-established password to gain entry.

Hermione smiled at him. “Hello, Theo! Beware, there’s a loose memo somewhere in here, it keeps turning invisible-” she noted his look. “Oh, are you OK?”

“Hermione, would you mind if we talked?” Theo asked, nodding at Blaise.

“Sure,” Hermione replied with a curious tilt to her head. “Good luck, Blaise! I’ll be back soon.”

Blaise chuckled. “I’ll try wrangle it by the time you return.”

“Oh Blaise,” Theo said, stepping back from following Hermione. “Drinks tonight? 7pm at the Leaky, alright?”

Blaise nodded in reply.

Hermione brought Theo outside and cast a silencing charm. Theo looked like he was there for business.

“What’s up?” Hermione asked.

He studied her carefully and she twirled in a small circle for his inspection. He smiled, shaking his head. “I wasn’t expecting this to be honest. I thought you would be, you know, upset.”

“Oh,” Hermione said, realising Theo must know about her and Malfoy now. Kingsley had sent her a missive telling her that her request to directly report to Harry was being changed to Theo instead. She understood, the Minister thought she and Harry were too close and he was right. It wasn’t feasible for undercover work. “I know you’ve been assigned to oversee me, and I’ll need to be honest in how I’m feeling so you can make the best decisions for our team regarding my work. So, I’ll level with you: even with my meditation spell to try and temper everything, I’m completely destroyed!” she grinned at him, arms wide in a flourish.

Theo took in her stretched smile, the red rimming her eyes, the very slight shaking of her body. She was trying very hard to keep it together. He reached out and hugged her. She hugged him back, breaking the hold quickly. 

“Sorry, if I linger, I’ll break down and I have some things I need to tell you.”

“I spoke with Draco before coming over here, he gave me an idea of what has happened between the two of you,” Theo delicately remarked.

Hermione’s head shot up. “How- how is he?” 

“I don’t think he realised the gravity of what he’d done until he talked to me. He’s struggling, he thinks he made a mistake,” Theo told her.

Something hardened behind Hermione’s eyes when he said that, and Theo knew he’d been right. She was not happy.

“Of course he made a mistake, but realising that now isn’t going to help anything. I’m sure whatever reasons he had will be recurring and he’ll just run every time,” her voice was hard.

“So, he never told you why?” Theo asked.

“On the strength of his wisdom I’m sure they are perfectly ridiculous, terrible reasons that I won’t bother myself obsessing over.” The anger in her voice chilled Theo, her eyes glittered with biting tears. Looking away, she softened a little. “But if you want me to show you the meditation charm to help him, let me know.”

Theo shook his head. “No, I think he needs to experience this. He never has before.”

“Ok, well since you’re my handler now, there is something else you should understand,” Hermione sat at the picnic table, falling in the seat. She looked out over the view of London and Theo sat opposite her.

“I can’t talk to Harry or Ginny about this, they know but it’s too painful. And Malfoy has the emotional wingspan of a Bernie Bott’s Bean,” Theo gave a small chuckle at that. “So, I apologise for putting this on you, but it is information you should know.”

Hermione took a deep breath and Theo let her gather herself. “Whenever you’re ready, Hermione.”

There was a pause and Hermione seemed nervous and took a moment to ready herself before she started talking. 

“Oh, Theo, I just feel so incredibly guilty. I’m so upset at what happened to Justin and wrecked from an argument from Harry and then Malfoy just ended things out of nowhere. Then the big, yawning guilt came.”

“What do you have to feel guilty about?” Theo queried.

“I’m married, Theo.” It burst out of her, her shoulders tense and hands clenching her thighs. 

Theo was surprised, he had no idea she was married, she didn’t wear a band and of course there were her various lovers. She obviously hadn’t finished what she wanted to say so he just waited for her.

She raised her head, tears collecting on her lashes. “You see, that New Year’s a couple of years ago, Ron and I decided to use the celebration to get married. Harry officiated. It was a time all our friends and family were there, and we never wanted some big event. We had just signed the official registry when the bombs started going off and Ron - he was injured. Really badly. I thought he’d died. Blown backward into one of the stages. His leg was crushed, and he suffered a really bad head injury. He’s never woken up. He’s still in St. Mungo’s, they have no idea if he’ll ever recover.”

“Your husband went into a coma _on_ your wedding day?” Theo repeated, stunned. That night had been awful but what happened to Hermione was even more tragic.

Hermione nodded. “I went travelling pretty soon afterwards, sold our house and packed away most of our belongings, it was too difficult to be around. I wandered around Europe pretty aimlessly at first and then I met an incubus. Luckily, he wasn’t hungry and for some reason we walked together for a while. One of the side effects of being in proximity to an incubus is that it awakens your sensuality in ways I still can’t fully describe, so I began dating. But I had this promise to myself that I wouldn’t betray Ron emotionally. I wouldn’t fall in love with anyone else. Even with Jun-ki, I held that promise even though he is really amazing. And then I was asked to come back. And I met Malfoy again and that promise faltered. And now that it was all for naught, I kind of hate myself.” Hermione’s face fell into her hands as she sobbed. 

Theo gently took a hand away from her and held it across the picnic table. She’d been holding all of this for a long while, he could tell. It put her in a hellish position. Under wizarding law she couldn’t get divorced without a signature from Weasley and would she even want to do that? He felt he understood her a lot better now. 

Glancing inside while Hermione pieced herself together again, Theo noticed Blaise watching Hermione weep looking like he wanted to comfort her as well. His eyes flicked to Theo and then at where Hermione’s hand was clutching his before he moved away.

Hermione was coming back to herself. “Thank you for listening, Theo.”

“You’re welcome, Hermione. I’m very sorry for your loss- well, losses really.”

She breathed a gulping laugh, breaking her hold on him. “So, I guess we should make a plan, you’ll have to be there in France which I know isn’t ideal.”

Theo just waved a hand at her. “No, it’s fine. I’ll set up travel there separate from you and Draco, but the Minister has made it clear my number one priority has to be making sure you are safe and to extract you if needed.”

“You don’t think I’m horrible?” Hermione asked him. She had never said all the things she just had except for telling Harry when she first made the promise. He’d been trying, in his own sweet bumbling way, to break her from the restraint she’d put on herself.

Theo smiled and shook his head. “No, I think you tried to do what was best for you at the time. But I also think that maybe it could be time to re-evaluate. It’s been two years; you deserve to have someone in life on a more permanent basis if you want.”

“Thanks Theo.” Hermione smiled back. But it didn’t reach her eyes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed this chapter! 
> 
> I just wanted to reiterate that I from the note at the beginning that I will only be posting on Sundays now as I've fallen behind a bit as work starts back up. I hope this is OK.
> 
> Thanks for reading!


	23. Chapter 23

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For anyone who needs this, still no reconciliation.

Theo waited in a booth for Draco and Terry that evening. His brows furrowed in thought. His new position was technically a promotion and the Minister had offered a sizeable benefits package for taking on the assignment. The Minister had stressed that Theo was responsible for Hermione’s safety and pressed how essential Hermione was to the Ministry. Shacklebolt had intoned gravely that this could be dangerous work, but Theo still agreed. He’d thought the Minister meant due to the people targeting Hermione. The Minister’s assistant had given him Hermione’s file to go over. It was huge.

A nervous flutter swam through Theo’s stomach. He’d read part of the file that afternoon after going to see Hermione. He’d needed a drink after only a quick glance through it, so he’d headed to the pub a little earlier. Despite his friendship with her, he was nervous and fearful at what he’d read. At what he now knew her to be capable of. The Minister hadn’t meant Hermione was in danger. No, he’d meant Hermione _was_ the danger.

But then he remembered how she had been this afternoon. So open and honest, telling him things only Harry knew. How could someone that was so distraught and vulnerable be as dangerous as her file implied. Then he looked back on the time when she had used her vulnerability to manipulate a situation after being at Le Roux’s party the first time. He’d been shocked and a little unnerved at how good she had been as Felicia and she’d become upset, seeking reassurance and Terry and he had both fallen for it. She’d turned his wariness into loyalty and a want to protect her. She’d been able to turn it off so quickly showing them it was yet another act. But that had lessened Theo’s worry for her and morphed it into confidence in her. At every turn, she could manipulate them any way she wanted. 

Taking a gulp of his drink, he thought about the statement Rita Skeeter had made a week after Hermione had returned. She’d gone to the Law Enforcement Department to lay a claim that she had once been kidnapped by Hermione. Enforcer Flint had noted Skeeter’s behaviour as ‘excessively agitated’.

The report had detailed how Hermione supposedly held the witch for 4 days when she was only sixteen. Skeeter had refused to divulge how this had occurred but said she feared for her life now that Hermione was back, that the witch had threatened her. 

Flint had noted that while Skeeter’s version had been rather exaggerated, he had found witnesses to the exchange who agreed with Hermione’s version of events. The statement from Granger read:

 _”I hadn’t seen Skeeter in a really long time, I’d thought we’d come to an accord years ago that she was going to only print facts instead of fabrication. I was disappointed to find out the now news editor of the_ Daily Prophet _had taken a more fictional approach to delivering the news. I approached her when I saw her the other day in the lobby and asked if she would not reconsider her reporting style considering our past. Ms. Skeeter appeared nervous, so I asked her to not bug out on me. That was the end of the conversation.”_

Theo had noted that this had been corroborated by three witnesses who all confirmed Hermione had been friendly and they did not think any threat was implied.

Theo had agreed and he could tell that Enforcer Flint clearly thought he was wasting his time even taking the statement. Theo thought perhaps Skeeter had done so in order to truthfully publish an article that Hermione was being investigated, but he’d never seen anything like that. It would have been front-page news.

He’d gone in to ask Harry about it. To his surprise Harry had laughed.

“Oh, yes. Skeeter is or was an unregistered Animagus. She can turn into a beetle,” Harry told Theo. “I thought you might know since Malfoy and the other Slytherins would talk to her in her animal form during the Triwizard Tournament. That’s why so many fabricated articles came out about Hermione and I during that year.”

“So did Hermione kidnap, Skeeter?” Theo had asked. 

Harry nodded. “Oh, yes. Caught her in an Unbreakable Jar and kept her for a few days. And then the next year, struck some sort of deal with that horrible woman so she would only print what was factual for my interview with _The Quibbler_. I’m not sure the details, but whatever it was worked.”

A chill had crept up Theo’s spine at how nonchalant Potter found all this.

“Do you not see the implied threat in this statement, then?” he’d asked, pushing the report to Harry.

Harry had glanced at it but was obviously already familiar with it. He sat back and searched Theo.

“I know you have just been put in the handler position, and congratulations by the way, but Hermione _is_ a spy. You see what she’s doing for us with Le Roux. Now how much more difficult would that be if Skeeter was breathing down our necks? No, this report right here just shows me how confident I should be in Hermione’s abilities.” The wizard had paused.

“I would be dead if it weren’t for her. And I don’t mean one time she saved my life. I mean she saved my life again and again. I see you are unnerved, but Theo, at least you’re on her good side. She is fiercely loyal, you have nothing to fear.”

Theo had left then and gone straight to the pub. He thought about everything Hermione did, the way she had the team all so bound to her in one way or the other. Padma and Michael were so thankful she’d brought them together, Justin and his boyfriend practically worshipped the ground she walked on. Terry owed her for introducing him to Cadney. Blaise… there was something going on there based on the look he’d given them this afternoon and he also recalled the way they had interacted at the hospital, Blaise seeking comfort from Hermione.

And then there was Draco. His friend who had successfully not allowed himself to be tangled up in a relationship was now sitting distraught in his office over the woman after having only kissed her.

A crushing thought clenched at Theo. He whipped his phone out and headed outside, standing far enough away that the magic of Diagon Alley wouldn’t affect it. He dialled Jacinta’s number.

“Hey, babe,” her voice answered.

“Hey - uh-” he ran a hand over the back of his head, nervous. 

“You ok?” Jacinta sounded worried. 

“Um, yeah. Just… did you know Hermione before the night I met you?”

Jacinta laughed. “Well, yeah!”

Ice stirred in Theo. And anger. Granger had manipulated him as well. I mean, how likely was it that out of all the Muggles in that club, he’d found one that actually knew about the wizarding world.

“I mean,” Jacinta continued. “I know I’m a Squib, but my family still talked about the Golden Trio on occasion. There were times when you couldn’t get away from seeing her face in magazines and newspapers.”

A palpable relief swarmed through him. He had to lean back against a lamppost as he shuttered his eyes, the nausea he’d been feeling receding. 

“Babe? Theo? You OK?” Jacinta was asking, concerned.

“Um, yes. I’m fine now after talking to you,” he paused. “I know I should say this to your face, but I love you.”

A small gasp came from the other end. When she spoke, she sounded choked up. “Me too. I love you, Theo. I’ll see you tomorrow, right?”

“Of course,” Theo had said before they gave their goodbyes.

He saw Draco and Terry arrive and crossed the street again to join, trying to calm himself.

He was going to have to read her file thoroughly and steel himself for what she was capable of.

* * *

“So, what’s the occasion?” Terry said, brightly. He was easing into the booth Theo had briefly abandoned for his phone call to Jacinta.

Draco saw Theo looking at him to see if he wanted to divulge. But he didn’t say anything.

“It’s Draco’s birthday tomorrow, but since the whole France thing is coming up, we thought we’d celebrate tonight,” Theo covered for him.

Terry clapped Draco on the back. “Oh yeah? Happy Birthday man!”

“I saw the report on Franco,” Draco spoke up. “Didn’t seem to know anything.”

Terry huffed, annoyed. “Yeah, he just picked up the package and delivered it, but he said what he had was small and it must have been to get past the security at the concert. I don’t really understand what could have happened.”

“Hermione says it is probably a proximity timer that sets off when it reaches its mark,” Blaise said, slipping into the booth as well, sliding a whisky to Draco. “Happy Birthday, Malfoy.”

“And this is?” Draco asked, swirling the whisky.

Blaise pulled out a small piece of paper, “Glenfarclas 40 year, apparently should have the caramels, fruits and chocolate notes you like.”

Draco took a sip and sighed. “It’s amazing. Granger?”

“Yeah,” Blaise replied, sliding the paper over to him.

Draco took the paper. The paper had the stats of the whisky and tasting notes plus her own small review: _”Tastes like a first kiss on a snowy night, Happy Birthday, I bought the bottle from Tom, they should keep coming - H.”_ He thumbed the piece of paper a dull ache throbbing through him. Still so considerate, buying him a bottle of the finest whisky he’d ever tasted and giving him the information for his database. The world seemed to warble around him. He found Theo’s eyes looking at him concerned and slipped the paper into an inner pocket, rejoining the conversation.

“I wonder when Potter’s coming,” Blaise said. “I arrived with him, but he went to Diagon Alley first. He said he’d be along shortly.”

“Harry’s coming?” Draco asked. He hadn’t thought the wizard would want to see him after their argument even after they’d apologised. He finished his drink and as Granger had promised, it refilled. The glass must be charmed to the bottle.

“Yeah, he looked excited about something,” Blaise replied. “He came over to Hermione’s place when we were finishing up for the night. You know what they’re like, he came back after chatting to her all mischievous.”

“That can’t be good,” Draco said.

Theo watched as the door nearest Diagon Alley opened and sat further upright at who came through. “You’re right about that, brace yourself.”

Draco looked up and sure enough Harry was coming toward them with an evil grin on his face, the reason for which was walking behind him. One Mr. George Weasley.

“Oh no,” Draco said, really not liking the look of the various items George had in his hands.

“Oh, absolutely yes,” Harry said with a shivering drawl.

George popped open the first item and large hovering letters ballooned out of it. They floated above their booth and arranged themselves to read, “Happy Birthday Draco Malfoy”.

“Oh gods, no,” Draco groaned.

“Dracoooo Malfoy, it’s your birthday!” George yelled to the entire pub and popped open another item. A group of enchanted bunnies scampered towards Draco and began a cute, harmonised rendition of a birthday song. Draco buried his face in his hands as the others laughed. George mimed a ‘Shh’ signal to the booth and popped another item while Draco wasn’t looking. A silver sparkling ‘Birthday Boy’ now sparkled over Draco’s head, hovering so it moved as he did. As the song ended and the bunnies poofed into chocolates on the table, Draco raised his head a smirk creasing him despite himself as the others were clearly enjoying themselves.

“You are all the worst,” Draco told them. “Especially you,” he pointed at George who took a bow. 

It was very difficult to stay melancholy with George around though and the table were in good spirits, playing games, talking and of course, drinking.

It got to the point it wouldn’t be healthy to keep going so they started heading off, George singing and twirling around down Diagon Alley, Theo catching a cab to Jacinta’s and Terry using the Leaky Cauldron’s Floo. Blaise had disappeared a little earlier, Draco wasn’t sure when. 

“Let’s walk,” Potter told him, knowing his place was nearby.

Draco looked at Harry. He wouldn’t suggest this unless there was a reason, so Draco followed him out.

Harry was silent for a bit and a gaggle of witches passed them, giggling and giving the two little looks.

Draco noticed a ward of silence settle over them so others couldn’t hear their conversation.

“Are you going to be OK for France?” Potter asked finally.

Draco rubbed the back of his neck. “As much as I can be. It’s too important so I’ll make sure to sort myself out before then.”

Harry made an uncomfortable noise. “Uh, yeah about that…” Draco watched as Potter coloured when they passed under a streetlamp. “I spoke with Hermione today and she has a request. No need to heed it unless you want to though,” Harry was waving his hands to soften the words.

“And what is it she wants?” Draco asked. From how awkward Harry was being, he braced himself.

“Well, um, she said she will probably be fine since she will be Felicia not herself, but she asked if you would arrange for some companionship before you both go over there?” Harry said in a rush, not wanting the words to linger. “Something about keeping your pheromones in check, I didn’t fully understand it.”

“Granger wants me to sleep with someone before France?” Draco waited for confirmation to which he received a pained nod. “That’s not really any of her business.”

Draco’s voice was cold. He’d been trying to have a dry week.

“She seems to think if you don’t it will affect the mission. You probably won’t be able to when you’re in France, not without leaving Felicia alone. And to be honest, I wasn’t going to say anything since I thought you would probably just take care of this yourself like you usually do…”

“But?” Draco prodded the wizard to continue.

“I mean, there were a lot of curious women at the pub tonight. Lots of longing walk-bys and attempts to get your attention but you didn’t even seem to notice. That’s just, well, it’s very unlike you.”

Draco hadn’t noticed, though he had been rather distracted by George’s antics. Though when had that ever stopped him before. He sighed, he hated that she was right, that she knew him more than he knew himself sometimes.

“She’s making this very difficult, Harry.” Draco told his friend who pat his shoulder. “I’ll arrange it, but she has to do something for me as well.”

“Sure, I can relay it to her,” Potter replied.

Draco stopped and faced his friend, showing how serious he was. “Sometime after France, she has to hear me out. It doesn’t have to change anything if she wants, I just want to get her to understand. She has to sit and listen, no talking, no… Granger-isms.”

Harry looked at him, a sarcastic tilt to his face. “So, you’ll happily make the oh-so-terrible sacrifice to bed someone as long as you can give her emotional whiplash?”

“Well, when you put it like that of course it sounds bad,” Draco grumbled. “But she’s doing it to me, too. She’s pulled so far away from me so quickly and it really fucking hurts but then she does things like tonight, buying me an expensive bottle of whisky to wish me Happy Birthday. Of course, I never noticed anyone else. All the little touches she put on tonight, I just kept wishing she was there.”

“I’ll tell her to back off and leave you alone for a while, it can’t be easy for you. Though I should probably remind you Hermione is still seeing other people. You weren’t the only new person in her rotation. Though I tend to think you were an anomaly outside of that given how shattered she is about losing you.”

A throb of sadness ran through Draco. Of course, she had, it wasn’t like he’d stopped seeing Pansy or Daphne and now Hestia either.

Maybe it was a testament to the alcohol Potter had imbibed as he turned to Draco and said, “You know, I was threatened by you as well.”

Draco raised an eyebrow.

“No really. Hermione’s always been mine and then with you she wasn’t as much anymore. She didn’t even tell me about what was going on with you and she tells me everything, well unless it’s classified. It’s really selfish of me, I know. I didn’t have a lot of love growing up, so I suppose I covet what I receive now. And Hermione loves so hard and so purely, it just- it terrifies me that she won’t have as much time for me when she finally chooses someone.”

Draco didn’t really know much about Harry’s life before Hogwarts but appreciated the insight. He understood their relationship a little better now.

“What about when she was with Weasley?” Draco asked.

“Well, he was my best mate, we hung out all the time. When we were younger Ron did worry about whether Hermione would leave him for me but got over it when he saw how distracted I was by Ginny. We always spent time together, working for the Ministry before Ron left to work with George. It was an amazing time, mostly peaceful and we finally had time to just enjoy ourselves. I loved seeing them together, bickering and annoyed then Ron would make a stupid joke and Hermione would just smile at him before laughing. We were just… happy.”

Draco just nodded. The spectre of Ron’s presence hanging over them. 

They had arrived outside Draco’s townhouse now and before he could protest Harry had hugged him. Clapping him on the back twice before releasing him. As much as he was loathe to admit it, he was grateful for the gesture. He thought Harry was missing Weasley and had needed it too.

“Thanks for coming Harry, despite everything,” Draco told his friend. “And thanks for bringing George, he makes it impossible to brood. To be honest I thought you’d want to punish me more than Weasley’s special brand of mortification.”

Harry just grinned at him. “Thought you could use some cheering up, I do know it’s been hard for you. But-” his grin widened. “I have been punishing you a little, just take a look in the mirror when you get in.” Then he waved and Apparated away.

Draco entered his house and looked in the bathroom mirror seeing the sparkling silver ‘Birthday Boy’ sign dancing over his head, groaning and shaking his head. It was clearly charmed so Muggles couldn’t see it, but he lived in a wizarding neighbourhood so the people they’d passed would definitely had. He waved it away. 

He’d get Potter back for that later.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahhhh, these chapters are catching up to me so quickly! I really hope I don't have to lengthen my lead time but that may happen and I'm very sorry about it. 
> 
> I stupidly started another longer story called [Transit of Venus](https://archiveofourown.org/works/28700394/chapters/70364766) that is my take on the soul magic trope.
> 
> I am still very dedicated to this story and am continuing to write. Thank you for your support, kudos and comments. I love hearing from all of you.


	24. Chapter 24

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry to anyone who needs to hear this, still no reconciliation, they are mostly on mission in France.

* * *

The office was quiet. Only Padma, Michael and Terry were there. Theo was with Hermione and Blaise as they continued to work on the charms for the memos, Harry was probably in his office and Justin was still on leave.

Draco felt better today and he’d already received a message from Pansy that simply stated she would be coming to see him tonight with a hasty ‘oh and Happy Birthday’ added to the end which took care of Granger’s request for him. The rolling sadness that had filled him yesterday had lessened after his chat with Potter.

He had a lot of tasks he needed to do before heading away with Le Roux and Felicia so his morning passed quickly. It was after lunch when Draco heard more voices in the office and he just knew she’d arrived.

There was a knock at his door, and he waved it open with his wand, quickly finishing up a reply for the Law Enforcement Department.

Theo entered and behind him came Blaise and Granger. Immediately Draco knew there was something wrong with her, her eyes were red and she was curled into herself, not confident like usual.

Draco looked at the three of them concerned.

“Hermione just broke things off with someone properly, they were pretty upset,” Blaise said in explanation. Granger brought a hand to her mouth looking like she might cry again. “Oh hey, ‘Mione, it’s ok, Max will get over it eventually.” Blaise said, holding her other hand, wiping the tear that escaped off her cheek. 

The realisation plinked into Draco’s brain like a bubble popping. Potter had told him that Hermione had other new people in her rotation. He’d never considered Blaise as part of that and he waited for the pain to hit him. Interestingly none came, it just felt like a puzzle piece slotting into place.

Theo was watching him carefully, but Draco just gave him an almost imperceptible shrug to show he was fine. Theo furrowed his brows with a tilt of his head but seemed to accept the gesture.

Granger was eyeing him carefully and gave a small smile when she realised he was OK, exhaling. 

Blaise looked between Hermione and himself and quickly dropped her hand raising his own in front of him.

“Oh, sorry Malfoy. I didn’t know you were seeing her, too.” He laughed. “Probably should have guessed that though.”

“Not anymore,” Granger whispered to him.

Blaise looked at Draco surprised. “Really? Why would you- oh sorry, none of my business. Anyway, we finished the memo prototype.”

“Oh yeah?” Draco leaned forward as Blaise pulled out the memo. He could see that instead of attaching the mirror, they’d instead mirrored the underside of the paper plane. Draco suspended it in the air and it floated, a Disillusionment charm flicking on so you could only see the faint shimmering in the air, near invisible.

“Very impressive,” Draco told the two of them.

“Here,” Granger seemed to have recovered somewhat and placed a mirror in front of him. He could see a top-down view from where the memo flew around his office. “You just need to cast the rune in the corner over the object you want it to track and it will start following,” she said, tracing the rune on the glass as the memo flew over Theo before she waved the wizard over. Draco watched as the image in the glass followed Theo over to his desk.

Draco was more than impressed, he knew that using runes bound the items together and eliminated the possibility that range would stop the item from working. It was elegant and streamlined. He could tell she had invented a new rune, imbuing it with the specific magics they required. It was, quite simply, amazing. Figuring out the pattern of the rune he tapped the image of Theo twice and he watched as the image zoomed in. He tapped again and it resumed its original configuration. He shook his head in wonder. It truly was an honour to know her.

He looked up at Hermione, and she melted into a wide smile, sadness forgotten. A pang of longing strummed through Draco. She’d wanted his approval and obviously saw his awe. He looked away again.

“Really good work, both of you,” he said. “You should make sure to patent this. It’s going to earn you a lot of money.”

“Already put the paperwork in,” Hermione said brightly. Of course she had.

“We will work on the other ones once you come back,” Blaise said. 

“Speaking of,” Theo said. “Hermione, we need to go over some things with Harry. We should go.”

Hermione nodded at him and looked at Blaise. 

“See you tonight,” he told her, ruffling her hair. 

“Hey!” she smacked his arm in admonishment and tried to smooth her hair, giving Draco a quick look and colouring slightly before exiting. 

Blaise stood in front of Draco. He obviously wanted to talk about Hermione. Draco admitted to being intrigued as well.

“So how have you been lately?” Draco asked him.

Blaise smiled. “Very well. Hope this isn’t too awkward? 

Draco shook his head. “No, it’s fine, though if you’d asked me yesterday my answer would have been different.”

“But you’re OK now?”

“Not quite, but I will be,” Draco replied.

“Do mind me asking what happened?” Blaise sat in a chair opposite him.

“I panicked and fucked up. I ended it, she was hurt,” Draco put it together as succinctly as he could.

“Still is, it must have been the day of the attack right?” Blaise said. “I can feel a sadness that wasn’t there before when we hang out.”

“How long have you two been ‘hanging out’?” Draco queried, the implication clear in his tone.

“For a while, a couple weeks after she arrived? I wanted to keep it quiet, but Theo guessed and it didn’t seem that important to keep secret anymore. And it’s not really like that,” he said meaning the innuendo Draco had uttered. Draco gave him a questioning look and Blaise grinned rubbing the back of his head.

“Yeah, I have a fair idea about what your arrangement with our Hermione was, but mine looks a bit different. We’re not intimate like that,” he looked away and back at Draco again. “Well, it is intimate but not in that way. Well-” he shrugged. “It’s kind of complicated, but she’s a good friend and she’s helping me figure some stuff out. But no, we’re not sleeping together.”

Hermione was surprising Draco yet again. He didn’t see any passion or love in Blaise as he tried to explain his relationship with Hermione. There was respect and admiration, sure. But the emotions he had expected to find, the ones similar to his own, were absent. Yet another mystery.

“I’m sorry, Draco. I’m not quite ready to talk about it all, I’m still a bit unsure about it myself,” Blaise said almost sheepishly.

“I shouldn’t pry anyway,” Draco told his friend. Whatever it was, he hoped Blaise was OK. He’d seemed a bit anxious as he spoke. “Really amazing work with this,” he said, waving the mirror at the other wizard. 

“Hermione insisted the patent be authored by both of us, but really she did it all, I just helped wherever she needed it. We’re really lucky, she’s just- she’s incredible,” he sighed wistfully before seeing Draco’s look. “Oh sorry! But even with things being over between you two, don’t you still feel lucky?”

Draco leaned back in his chair. He thought about the way she’d just smiled at him just before. Like she was so happy to have pleased him. 

“Yeah, I do,” he replied.

* * *

“Let’s have a final rundown. So you’re all ready, Hermione?” Harry steepled his fingers at her. Serious Mode Harry. 

“Yes, Le Roux has asked for us to be ready tomorrow afternoon at his manor. We will be Floo-ing to his villa in the Loire Valley. I’m really looking forward to it, I haven’t been to France in a while.”

Theo grabbed the bridge of his nose and shook his head. Being Hermione’s handler was more challenging than he’d thought. She was very cavalier when discussing things like the danger didn’t bother her at all. It disturbed him.

“This isn’t a holiday, Granger,” he told her.

She shrugged. “It kind of is.”

Theo looked at Harry for help. “She’s impossible.”

“Theo’s right, Hermione. You need to take this seriously,” Harry admonished her.

“I am taking it seriously,” she huffed back. “But I have to act like it is a holiday. I have to be happy and relaxed.”

Theo sighed. “I’ll be with Hermione in the morning, then we will Floo to Malfoy Manor when she’s ready as Felicia. Draco will take over from there and I’ll go to France. The rooms we have let are in the nearby village. I will monitor her via call mirror through her enchanted jewellery, the earrings since they are the least conspicuous. The Polyjuice for my disguise is all ready, too. If anything does happen, I have determined the closest place I can Apparate to outside Le Roux’s wards and have shown Hermione the rendezvous point. Draco will forcibly remove her if necessary.”

Hermione rolled her eyes. “It won’t be necessary, everything is going to be fine.”

“We decided communicating with a Protean charm was too risky so have nixed that plan,” Theo continued having ignored her.

“OK, all set then.” Harry nodded.

“Just one last thing,” Hermione said, turning to Theo. “We should talk about how you’re scared of me now.”

Theo looked at her before sighing again.

“Huh?” Harry looked between them. “What do you mean?”

“Theo read my file and I can tell he’s afraid of me. He hides it well, but I can see it in his aura.”

She thought Theo would have been less unnerved by her if she’d been an assassin, racking up kills around the world. The fact that all her victims remained alive and some even still loyal to whoever she had been for them freaked him out. She did admit she had gone too far with some, not knowing her power until it was too late, leaving them addicted to her, the internal craving impossible to be rid of. A few were in a perpetual state of torture from her effect on them. She regretted it deeply but had felt it was necessary at the time. She was hurt that Theo seemed so put off, they’d become close over the past few months.

She watched as Theo squared himself to her. “Yes, after reading your file and seeing everything you’ve done, I think while gifted, you are very manipulative. Every interaction with you in an exercise in you getting what you want which is a dangerous thing for a person. The only time I’ve seen you not get what you want is when Draco broke up with you and frankly I’m glad he did because I think you’d leave him a burnt out husk when your flame for him died. Even after that, it only took a day for Draco to flip again and want you back. I grew up with that man, far closer than either of you and you cannot begin to imagine how disturbing it was to hear that he was so broken after just kissing you. You are one scary witch, Granger.”

Harry’s mouth was hanging open but Hermione just smiled. Theo hadn’t said anything maliciously and she was glad he had shared so openly.

“Thank you for your honesty, Theo. I appreciate it.” He was watching her warily, even more tense at her calm response. “May I please share something with you, too?”

He nodded. She walked over to him and held out her hand, he took it. “I’m going to bare my soul to you Theo, OK? Sorry you may see some things you don’t want to, just don’t think about them and you’ll gloss past.”

She said an incantation and closed her eyes, screwing her face up. She didn’t really enjoy doing this, as Theo flicked through her life like Draco had. Sometimes pausing in places watching memories play out as he felt her raw emotions. To her it felt like being tickled or scratching an itch but from inside her. It was unpleasant and disconcerting. However, she couldn’t manipulate this spell or lie. Theo would be able to see how she really felt. Words would have been useless when he believed she wielded them as weapons.

Harry was just watching them, curious.

Hermione felt Theo end the connection. “How do you feel now, Theo?” she asked him quietly. She knew it could be unsettling coming out from the spell so she tried to be gentle with him. She saw his shoulders settle, uncoiling the stress he had held there.

“Relieved,” Theo said, exhaling a breath. “Sorry Hermione, it’s just some things you’ve done really freaked me out. And it didn’t help when I went to see Fortescue in Azkaban.”

Hermione chuckled. “No, that really wouldn’t have done me any favours.”

“The man is evil, but yeah, I feel sorry for him sometimes, too,” Harry added.

“I never thought your success would come from actually being real, almost too real. You don’t really ever have your guard up, do you? Except for resisting falling in love. I’d assumed everything you did was manufactured like a psychopath.”

“So we’re still friends then?” Hermione asked him.

“Yeah, of course,” Theo replied. 

“Yay!” Hermione exclaimed, latching onto Theo, jumping up and down while hugging him.

Theo glanced over at Harry who just smiled at his friend. He had seen the way Harry looked at Hermione in her memories. He understood why Draco felt secondary to him. And he thought he was right to be worried about it.

* * *

The following day, Theo had picked Hermione up at 12pm, and they’d checked that her bespelled earrings worked. They had Floo’d to the manor where they were informed by a house elf in a neat and tidy uniform that Miss Felicia’s luggage had been sent on ahead via Le Roux’s request. Hermione had been periodically popping by the manor in her Felicia guise, using a bedroom with a Floo so she could go home. Just to ensure that those who worked at the manor knew Felicia by sight at least.

“Would Miss Felicia and Mr Theodore like to take some tea?” the elf asked.

“That would be wonderful, thank you Trilly,” Hermione replied. 

“The drawing room is really lovely this time of day, Miss,” Trilly said, leading them to a sunlit and tastefully decorated room. “You’ve not been in there before.”

Theo sat down in a plush armchair and Hermione walked around the room like she was fascinated by it. Staring up at the chandelier, looking at various spots around the walls standing in a spot and staring at the ground. The tea arrived and she sat, pouring herself and Theo a cup.

“You’re very quiet, Granger,” he said to her. “You alright?”

“Hm?” Hermione’s head came up as she took a sip of tea before opening her mouth to answer but then Draco rushed in.

“Sorry, this is just where people are normally received. They don’t know about… I should have thought about this,” Draco told her and Hermione saw Theo look at him, confused before turning to her.

“Draco is concerned I may be having an adverse reaction to the room I was tortured in,” she responded.

“And are you?” Theo asked her. 

“No,” she said easily, taking another sip of her tea with a little smile. “This is where I knew for sure that Ron loved me.”

Draco had taken a seat and was looking at her, searching for signs she was lying.

“And anyway,” she continued, leaning back and crossing her legs. “Wasn’t anywhere near as bad as Juravlev. Bellatrix was weak sauce.”

Theo laughed and Draco relaxed, “Dark, Granger,” he told her.

“I ought to go then,” Theo said, standing up. “You going to be alright, Hermione?”

She nodded and Draco scoffed. “What no concern for me, Theo?”

“My job is to protect her,” Theo stated. “I know that you’ll do anything to ensure she’s safe. Granger on the other hand, needs constant reminding that she is our priority.” He sent them each a serious look before saying goodbye and leaving.

A silence descended between Hermione and Draco. It was the first time they had been alone since Draco put an end to their flirtation and the air pressed against Hermione claustrophobically as invisible bands of words stifled the room with unsaid things.

She tentatively looked at Draco and he held her gaze. He opened his mouth to say something but she wasn’t ready for it, slipping inside herself and pulling out Felicia instead. Her posture changed and she sat up, on the edge of the seat, crossing her legs at her ankles instead of her knee.

“Draco darling, when do you suppose we ought to meet with our host?” she queried.

She watched Draco sigh as he noticed the shift. 

“Yes and hello to you as well, Felicia. Le Roux said we could leave for his manor anytime after noon. Did you want to go now?”

Hermione placed her teacup back in its saucer. Pressing the starched white napkin to her mouth.

“Yes, I am looking forward to this trip. You are so rarely around to entertain me here at the manor, Draco,” Felicia purred, standing and smoothing the elegant black pencil dress she had on.

Draco put his hand to the middle of her back and Side-Alonged her to the Apparation point on the Le Roux grounds. Le Roux’s butler was standing waiting for them.

“Mr. Malfoy, Miss Lestrange, welcome,” the man intoned. “Monsieur Le Roux has asked me to extend his most humble apologies but he has already departed for the estate as an urgent business matter arose,” the man quaked a little under the dark glare Felicia was giving him. “Please accompany me inside and I will assist you in arriving at the villa.”

With another glance to the poor butler, Felicia stalked ahead showing she needn’t be accompanied with all the haughty confidence of those that truly think themselves superior.

From the tour Le Roux had given her of his manor, she could make an educated guess as to which room they would be using. Le Roux wouldn’t want her comfort to be diminished so she guessed he would be using the grand fireplace in a small lounge area rather than where he held his parties. The marble hearth was almost as tall as her making for an elegant entry. Sure enough, not long after, the butler and Draco arrived behind her, the butler looking pained.

“Right this way, Miss,” he said, sprinkling the powder and reciting the address as Felicia was whisked off.

Stepping out of the grate on the other side, Felicia touched her wand to herself as she stepped out of the grate to ensure she looked as pristine as before. A well-dressed servant on this side offered her a warm and damp towel to use on her hands and she took one, gracefully patting herself before laying it on the servant’s outstretched arm. 

“Monsieur Le Roux has returned from his meeting and awaits you in the conservatory, Miss Lestrange,” another servant spoke to her, extending an arm in the direction of the door. “Please, if you would follow me.”

Hermione followed them out the door and down a corridor. The interior here was just as opulent as Le Roux’s manor in England though the villa was smaller, clearly a getaway property. Hermione knew Le Roux also had a more extensive estate near Paris.

The glass encased conservatory showed that it was raining outside, rivulets of water trailing down. Le Roux was standing at the window looking out into the grounds, waiting for her.

“Monsieur Le Roux, Miss Lestrange has arrived,” the servant bowed. And Le Roux turned around. His eyes were shining at Felicia’s presence, rushing to her and kissing both her cheeks before landing one on her lips. 

The servant departed but Le Roux still kept his voice low as he said, “My Queen, I humbly seek your forgiveness at my not being able to accompany you on your journey here.”

Felicia offered him her hand which he tenderly cradled and kissed with reverence, his eyes fluttering closed.

A great resounding _thwack_ echoed in the room as Felicia’s hand made a lightning-fast strike after his lips pressed upon her skin.

Le Roux gave a large intake of breath, eyes shooting up to hers, taking in her cold stare. His pupils dilated as a deep desire sung through him, skin tingling from her slap.

“That is for both the ungracious lack of your presence and for the unbidden touches taken without permission.” 

“I’m so very sorry, my Queen,” Le Roux’s voice was vibrating with need. He had made several overtures to see her before this but she had excused herself every time knowing that the denial of her company would make him ever more pliable during this trip. She gently caressed where she had struck, soothing the skin.

It appeared to have worked well. Perhaps a little too well, she could see thoughts brewing in Le Roux’s eyes, a certain possessiveness snaking its way there, coiled and ready to strike when the opportunity presented itself.

“I came by the Malfoy Manor after you refused my third invitation, my Queen,” a dangerous cadence to his voice. “The staff said you had been staying with a friend.” A potent jealousy was alive in him and a hand came up to caress the side of her face. The gesture appeared sweet, but the way his fingers closed around the back of her neck let her know he was testing her boundaries.

She pulled her aura to cloak the room, dark pulsing energy causing Le Roux to shiver. The pressure on her neck lessened.

“You forget your place,” her voice cut through like a dagger to slice through to his core with cold, unyielding steel. 

“Where is my place?”

Felicia slowly leaned in hearing his breath halt in his throat. “That would be beneath me,” Felicia said, caressing his ear with the low intonation, she heard Le Roux sigh in wanting.

“Do you think your cousin can be suitably entertained for an hour or so while I show you to your private quarters, my Queen?” the intention clear with the hope in his voice.

“I had quite forgotten my cousin had accompanied me, I suppose if he hasn’t found me by now he must be settling elsewhere,” she said, a ping zinging through her as she realised she’d been so focused on reestablishing her connection with Le Roux that she had forgotten Malfoy was supposed to have been right behind her. She was sure he was fine though, nothing in Le Roux showed he was going to be harmed. Theo would be watching through her earrings anyway, she was safe.

Le Roux had beamed that his presence had caused her to chase all other thoughts away and he crooked his elbow for Felicia to take. _Sorry, Theo_ , she thought. _You’re about to see some things you probably really don’t want to_.

* * *

Draco had been taken to his room which was at the end of the villa, double doors leading out to a courtyard. The day was miserable, rain pelting the grounds. He’d left Granger to it, figuring this particular brand of her magic would work better without him around. He watched as droplets raced each other down his windows, staring at nothing. She had pulled Felicia out almost as soon as they were alone. Like she couldn’t stand to be around him as herself. 

He was pulled from his reverie by voices. 

“As you can see my Queen, I have given you every luxury available to me,” Draco heard Le Roux’s voice, a smarm to it that made Draco sneer. 

There was a pause. “It will suffice,” he heard Felicia say. He could hear them very clearly and he glanced around the room. There was a vent in the baseboard that ran between both rooms. As Draco had not heard them come down the hallway indicating that the usual muffling charms were built into the villa, he had a sneaking suspicion Le Roux had arranged for their rooms to connect like this on purpose. He whispered a silencing charm and was unsurprised when it failed to work. Le Roux wanted to flaunt his relationship with Felicia in Draco’s face. Or at the very least his ears.

“May I worship you, my Queen in the same manner as when I was last alone with you?” Draco heard Le Roux say. His voice was edging on pleading with Felicia, Draco had to stifle a snigger. He thought about Theo not so far away in his rented room probably rubbing his temples at the shenanigans he was going to have to witness now. 

“Repetition only leads to stagnation, my servant,” Draco heard Felicia purr. He could have Silenced himself but thought maybe he ought to make sure Granger was safe, just in case.

“Prepare a bowl of milk and honey, and you must do this, not one of your servants. Now go.” Draco heard Felicia dismiss Le Roux and heard the click of the door.

There was a beat of silence.

“Hey, Draco,” a voice called silkily between the walls.

“Felicia,” he intoned back. “How did you know I was in this room?”

“I can see your aura spilling through the vent. And I can feel your magic, I always know when it’s you,” her voice was soft and he thought a bit of Granger was spilling through it.

He moved closer to the vent and felt her pulsating as well. It was a dominating assault, heady with desire and a willing pull trying to get him to submit. It was for Le Roux and not tailored for him like it had been that time in his office. He moved away as he heard the door open again indicating Le Roux’s return.

“Milk and honey, my Queen,” Le Roux told her, Draco could hear liquid sloshing in a bowl.

“Clothes off, in position, no more eye contact and absolutely no touching yourself.” Felicia’s cold, commanding voice came through the vent.

The shuffling of clothing was obvious and there was a pause before Felicia continued. “You may now bathe my feet as you wished to do last time. I give this to you in thanks for inviting me on holiday. Make sure they are spotlessly clean. Hands only. And if any of my instructions are ignored you will be punished, understood?” 

A breathy whimper sounded from Le Roux before he assented. Draco smiled and shook his head. No wonder Granger liked submitting to him, her overwhelming domination over Le Roux sounded exhausting.

Trickles of water sounded through the vent and judging from their last encounter Draco had a good while to kill. He brought out the same book he had been periodically reading at Granger’s having purchased his own copy, flicking it open and lounging on the bed.

About twenty minutes in, Draco heard Felicia’s voice, “You are disobeying me, Monsieur Le Roux.” her voice was calm, far too calm and it sent a shiver down Draco so he could only imagine the fear Le Roux was going through. It was the calm before a hurricane and Draco could feel the swirling wrath building.

“I- I didn’t, my Queen,” Draco could hear the panic but also the guilt. That calm, insidious voice resumed.

“You are now lying to me. If my subjects lie to me, it could be construed as treason.”

“N-No, my fealty, my loyalty and my life are yours, My Queen,” Le Roux begged.

Draco heard the ominous clinking of chains. “I am going to apply these to you with a Sticking charm, if you lie to me again or angle yourself in such a way that you are in fact touching yourself, I will pull on the chain and it will _not_ be pleasant. Now get on your hands and knees.” Draco heard the chain clinking again. He didn’t know where it had been attached but he couldn’t imagine if was anywhere good.

“This is position two, the first is how you were stationed earlier. Only despicable, loathsome weevils such as yourself require a second position. Do you know why?”

“Because I’ve misbehaved,” Le Roux’s voice was hoarse with fear but his laboured breathing indicated his arousal.

“Correct,” a light tapping of leather on skin started and Le Roux whimpered again. “That will be four lashes for your transgressions.”

And before Le Roux could say anything, four loud hard smacks resounded. 

Le Roux cried out in ecstasy no doubt feeling the sting from Felicia’s punishment.

“You may now continue with the other foot,” Felicia said.

“My Queen?” Le Roux ventured hesitantly.

“Yes, my servant,” Felicia replied. 

“What reward is bequeathed upon those who manage to be in your presence and adhering to your will?”

“What has brought on this line of enquiry, minion?”

“I just don’t understand how anyone would stay completely in line when your wrath is so divine,”

There was a pause.

“Well, those who serve under me and prove their worth are given the highest honour to all, to share a bed with their Queen. However, you prefer to be under my heel, don’t you, you vile worm. I see you are weeping from just a small dose of my power, you wouldn’t even need to touch yourself if I kept going would you?”

Le Roux’s breath was ragged. “I want both,” he growled.

“You are not permitted both, it is one or the other,” Felicia’s voice was dangerous again.

“I will make you allow me both, my Queen,” Le Roux’s voice was glittering with ice, there was danger in it and Draco stilled. He hadn’t heard Le Roux be anything other than supplicant, jealous or worshipping. 

“You will do no such thing,” Draco heard Felicia yank on the chains and a loud yelp came from Le Roux. He heard him laugh.

“Again Felicia,” he hadn’t called her Queen. Draco was worried. “Do it again.”

There was a scuffling sound and then Le Roux screamed before it turned into a loud sputtering groan.

“Ah, yes. Thank you, my Queen.” He laughed again.

“Dress yourself and get out of my sight!” Felicia yelled at him. She was seething, her voice shaking.

“I have incensed you, my Queen.”

“I am _furious_ with you!” Felicia screamed at him.

“You are delicious in your anger, Felicia.” Le Roux’s voice was impossibly cocky. “Draco, you ought to come through, your cousin needs attending.”

Draco sat up but wasn’t sure what to do. As crossed the room and was about to leave when he heard Felicia’s voice, sad and a little broken. 

“Eddie… why?”

“Yes,” Le Roux hissed, “Just like that Felicia.” Then he opened the door and Draco stepped out at the same time. 

He was dressed now, thank Merlin. Draco glared at him.

“I have upset your cousin, you should make sure she recovers before dinner.”

Through the open door to his room, Draco could hear Felicia crying.

He hurried down to her room and went in, closing the door.

Granger was sitting on the bed, she was crying, sniffling audibly, but she was also writing something on a bit of parchment. He charmed the door so it was locked.

She looked at while continuing to cry, placing a finger to her lips in the universal “Shh” sign and handed him the first bit of parchment.

_He wants to break me, he’ll be listening. Ask me if I’m OK_

“Are you OK?” he said stiffly.

Granger let out a little sob and rolled her eyes at him, gesturing her displeasure at his performance. She tapped her chest to indicate he should sound like he cared more. And beckoned him over.

He sat on the bed beside her. 

“I don’t know why he won’t submit to me, Draco.” she cried, sounding like her heart was breaking. It was entirely disconcerting. Draco was unsure how to act and decided to follow her lead. She passed him another piece of paper. 

_Tell me I should break it off and we should leave._

“Maybe we should go, Felicia.” he said quietly as she buried, her face in his shoulder so her cries were slightly muffled. “I don’t think you should see him anymore.” He injected anger and concern into his voice. 

Granger gasped and came off him. “No, I couldn’t possibly!” Felicia said, her voice lilting with hurt. “He is,” she sighed, allowing a hint of longing to release from her. “Everything I want.”

She heaved another few sobs into Draco’s shoulder and they heard a very small click.

Draco watched as she stopped immediately and got up, smoothing her dress down. 

“It’s OK,” she told him. “He’s gone now. And don’t worry, the room is clear.”

She picked up the bowl of milk and honey her feet had been bathing in. She pouted, magicking it away. “Such a waste, I wanted to watch him drink it.”

Draco was just sitting passively and watching her. It was more difficult to watch her here than he’d thought it would be. His heart had thudded as she cried, she’d sounded truly at a loss. But her actions had shown she was fine. And then she stopped so suddenly. He shivered at her comportment now, so unaffected, almost bored. He couldn’t understand the power plays at work.

“Want to fill me in on what is going on?” he whispered. “Take notes,” he said, looking at her earring and tapping the lobe of his own to show Theo he was talking to him.

Hermione/Felicia sat in a chair by the window. “New game, he’s possessive now, wants to play outside the rules I’ve established. Wants me to want him more than my control.”

Draco leaned his elbows on his knees in thought. 

“Doesn’t that make it more dangerous for you?” he finally asked.

“Not really. He’ll probably propose before the month’s out.”

Draco looked at her, a thrumming stroke of pain hit him. “You’d go that far.”

“Only if I really have to, it’s not something I want to happen,” she returned his gaze. “I wish Theo were here.”

“And why’s that?” he laughed.

“Because he wouldn’t sit there looking at me like that, trying to make me forgive him,” she glanced away. He tried to say something but she interrupted, “Please, just don’t, this is hard enough as it is and yes, I know I shouldn’t have brought it up.” She rubbed her chest with an open palm where her heart was like it was sore.

“You know,” she continued, “He would stand over there, and he would cross his arms all grumpy and shake his head at us like me were idiots. Wouldn’t you, Theo?” she whispered the last part, cupping her hand around her ear.

Draco chuckled at her, he knew she was trying to distract herself. And she was right, Theo definitely thought they were idiots. Granger held up a finger to indicate they should be quiet for a bit.

There was a knock at the door and Hermione resumed being Felicia, giving herself a cold expression belying how upset she was. It was one of Le Roux’s servants. “Dinner will be served in an hour, do you want someone to come get you when it’s time?”

“Monsieur Le Roux will not be accompanying me?” Felicia asked, her eyes narrowing.

“He’s says not, Miss,” the servant was stoic and had obviously been prepped that Felicia would be angry.

“Can you just tell us where we need to go?” Draco said.

“First left, second door on the right,” he said.

“I think we can manage that,” Draco said, rolling his eyes.

Felicia shut the door.

She waited a beat, watching the gap between the door and the floor. Satisfied that they had walked away she went and sat on the bed by Draco. She was still lost in thought, eyes unfocused as they flicked between thoughts. It was a couple minutes before she spoke.

“There is something odd I’ve noticed though,” she said quietly. “Why doesn’t Le Roux have any elves? He only has servants and only male ones at that.” She was idly tracing around the outline of his hand as it splayed on the bedspread with a finger.

Draco picked up his hand away from her but she didn’t move, he could see her brain whirring and he didn’t think she’d even realised she was doing it.

“Maybe he dislikes them?” Draco suggested. “There are wizarding families who go without them, especially now they receive pay-” but Hermione was staring into the middle space where his hand had been. She placed a finger to his lips to quiet him and then drifted the same hand up to cover his eyes and she gently pressed him down into the bed.

“Hush for a bit, I’m figuring something out but you are very distracting.” Draco huffed but remained silent allowing her to keep touching him this time and she occasionally tapped his temple with a finger as she moved through her thought process. He could smell her signature scent of verbena but it accompanied Felicia’s amber and rose. He felt the throb in his chest like he always did when he was close to her. 

Eventually she moved her hand away from his eyes and pulled him slowly upright by the lapel of his jacket, slipping her hand inside to rest on his shirt-covered shoulder. He tried so hard not to shiver at the sensation of her small circles on him, gritting his teeth against it.

She spoke carefully, “Theo, I need you to get someone on Le Roux’s school records. Probably Beauxbatons or Durmstrang, but try Ilvermorny, too. Just in case. He can’t have gone to Hogwarts, someone would know him in England if that was the case.”

“What are you thinking?” Draco asked her unsure why Le Roux’s school records would be needed.

“Because I can’t tell what his magical signature is, he may be very skilled at Occlumency,” she was tapping along his shoulder now. 

“Please stop touching me,” Draco whispered to her. She stilled her hand and removed it from inside her jacket and he found the strength to stand finally and move to the chair by the window far away from the bed that she had occupied earlier. He watched her stretch out across the bed on her stomach, legs raised at her pressed together knees, crossing her ankles. She lay her head on her outstretched elbow. 

“What am I missing?” she mused. “Something here isn’t… right.”

Draco reached inside his jacket to where she had touched, kneading the skin as if to expel how she had made his heart race so hard with the simple motion. She hadn’t noticed at all, using him like he was a touchstone to ground her while her mind spun.

Right now Hermione reminded him of that first day he properly saw her again in the office, how immersed she had been and got scared when he’d broken the silence so he just let her be. He should go back to his room and wait there, but yet again he found himself wanting to stay. Her touches on him were too much, and he hated how hyper aware he was of her. He was glad that for this moment at least she was still.

When it was time for dinner, she was still in her intense reverie. He’d managed to calm down by then so walked around the other side of the bed. Her eyes were glassy and her brow would occasionally furrow as her lips soundlessly formed words. She had retreated inside herself to try figure out whatever she’d latched onto. “Felicia, it’s time for dinner soon,” he said. But he got no response. 

He didn’t want to touch her again in case he set off another chain reaction inside himself since they would be eating with Le Roux soon. He took out his wand and cast two floating fireworks at her. They were harmless but would buzz around her with tiny explosions that would hopefully rouse her properly. As they danced around her face he watched her blink and move her gaze to them. Then, she reached out her hand as one of the fireworks moved towards it. Usually they bounced off, but Hermione captured it in her palm and Draco watched curiously as the glow entered her hand and Hermione unclasped her palm then the light glowed part way up her inner arm before disappearing. While this occurred it felt to Draco like an invisible rope pulling him before it slackened. It was decidedly odd.

But before he could ruminate on it, Granger stretched, sitting upright, her straight black hair shimmering in the early evening sun. “Damn, I can’t get it. I need more information,” she said.

She moved fluidly off the bed, and went to the wardrobe. She picked out a green embroidered dress with a 1950s silhouette and began unzipping herself. Draco turned around. He tapped himself to ensure his clothing was neat and pressed again and she sat on the bed again to put on some silver shoes. As she bent over, Draco could see the dress was still unzipped so he waved his wand to do it up, tucking away the exposed black lace of her bra.

She touched her hair and face to make sure she was all ready.

“Let’s go,” she said, reaching out to him before immediately pulling back. “No, Harry told me to back off.” It was a quiet utterance and Draco wondered if she was OK.

“Stellar job you’re doing too, after manhandling me earlier,” Draco drawled at her.

“Huh? Oh, right, yes. I’m sorry,” she seemed empty and Draco wasn’t sure it was an act but he thought maybe she had a plan for Le Roux now that he’d changed the rules they were playing with.

They headed into the dining room and Le Roux stood to greet them. Draco shook his hand when he reached the table. “I never did greet you properly before, Le Roux,” he said. The man clapped him on the arm and smiled. 

“Not a worry, Draco. Glad you were able to accompany Felicia. I admit to being worried about your presence with us, but already you have proven yourself useful.” The look of superiority in the man’s face proved to Draco Le Roux was still jealous of him and had most likely asked him to attend Felicia when she was upset to ensure he knew the depth of Felicia’s feelings for him. So he glowered like it were true.

Felicia had seated herself at Le Roux’s right, staring off into space. Le Roux gave her a concerned look and kissed her cheek but she gave no response and he frowned in worry. He turned to Draco.

“I’m not sure, she’s been like that a while right after she got upset when you left earlier.” Draco threw another dark look at the man who seemed entirely too pleased at that notion.

“Well, I’m sure she’ll come around,” Le Roux smirked.

Le Roux instead engaged Draco in small talk about various people he had been encountering at the manor lately and who seemed to be there for his cause and who just wanted to party. He offered Draco a refreshment from the bar cart in the corner of the room behind him and Draco poured them a whisky each, adding soda to Le Roux’s.

As the first course came, Felicia still hadn’t said anything and she gracefully used her cutlery, to take small bites, lingering the fork on her mouth as she continued to stare at nothing. Draco got up again to utilise the bar cart once more and heard Le Roux try to break her out of her stupor.

“Felicia, my dear, I really am sorry about before. I had no idea I would affect you so.”

Draco turned and saw Le Roux stroking Felicia’s hand. She slowly turned her head and gave a smile that was so beautiful and magnificent that Draco heard a cherished, “Oh, my love,” slip from him, kissing her hand.

However, Felicia’s eyes hadn’t quite dropped from where they had truly been resting, just past Le Roux. The angle being such that it would look like she was smiling at the man in front of her, but it was really being beamed straight through the Frenchman, striking Draco and he jostled the bar cart making it crystal decanters clink against each other. Then her gaze shifted slightly away from Draco and dipped to the table before she slowly looked up through her lashes at Le Roux and his heart started again. 

He took a large gulp of whisky as her smile at him killed all small remaining doubts. Yes, this weekend was going to be far more difficult than he’d thought.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone! I hope you are all doing well. Here's the next chapter with some Draco and Hermione interaction, though. Anyone else miss them together? I want to get back to writing them when they were all cute and snuggly.
> 
> Thanks for reading and I love all your comments!


	25. Chapter 25

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry, still no reconciliation. I would guess it will be coming up soon though!

Le Roux had demanded most of her time that evening but having played his dominance game with Draco earlier, he’d taken Felicia to his suite at the other end of the villa. He thought he had got to her when she was being aloof at dinner. She had been distracted still trying to work out what she was missing in her profile of Le Roux but she kept her aura pulsing at him. He’d quickly finished dinner and whisked her away to get her alone.

Their play had included a few more scenes from the list he had given her and though he had tried to stay inside her rules, he still couldn’t help disobeying just once so he would be punished. However, now Hermione injected a tenderness into the pain. Soothing more frequently, doling out praise when he was good. Giving him the measure of respect he’d hoped for with his earlier defiance. Moving them beyond a dominatrix and her subject to something… more.

She now gave him her full and undivided attention when they were together in the way he craved. After he had spent himself over her shoes after having helped her try on and take off over ten pairs, she had waved the mess away and they sat having peppermint tea. 

She had soothed the red line across the rounded flesh of his arse with a tingling, relaxing magic and sat opposite him at a small breakfast table. They talked of music and preferences for food and drink. They discussed which King Louis had the more exquisite style of furnishings. They spoke lightly of the parties at Le Roux’s manor in England, but Hermione didn’t delve into what the real reason for them was. She knew Le Roux was too careful yet to let Felicia in. Her mission was to get access to places to plant the bugs. She was just a beautiful dominating force in his life right now, he did not think she was capable of helping his organisation aside from procuring funds. Which he had no intention of letting her do again, his possessive having grown. 

Le Roux wanted her kept, to win her exclusivity. He thought he was close, and Hermione indulged the notion. They needed more, they needed to close it all down. She was willing to go down this rabbit hole to achieve that. She had not dared probe his mind knowing as soon as she tried to get in there he would harden and become suspicious. Probably cut all contact even as he burned to see her. 

He had the fortitude to withstand her aura. She had given him its pulsing power to the brink of addiction, but she had learned from past mistakes. She wouldn’t do that to another human being, no matter who they were.

Le Roux was excessively pleased with himself that he had managed to maneuver Felicia into breaking her iron grip and soften enough to take his hand and hold it when offered. She heard the arrogance in every sentence as he answered her questions and debated with her. 

Hermione was rather enjoying herself; Le Roux was cultured and articulate and when he thought she was wrong would splutter into French so their conversation moved fluidly between the two languages. They had been exchanging letters often ever since he had gifted her the leather toys and Hermione had purposefully put off meeting him again. She’d been right to, now that a whole weekend stretched ahead of them there was a fizzing of anticipation and every touch was heightened.

She smiled down at where Le Roux was making small circles on the back of her hand. Time for Phase Two. She looked up at Le Roux slowly through her lashes. Her usual dominating aura was coating the room, but she let slip something new, a hint of desire, right at the moment she reached his own blue eyes. The effect was immediate. 

Felicia had solely been focused on Le Roux’s pleasure before this, never indicating feeling some of her own. Le Roux knew it was something coveted, not something given to just anyone. He wanted it, his possessive nature coming out in full force. 

Le Roux stopped his gentle caresses. “Felicia.”

“Eddie.”

Le Roux pulled her from her chair to meet him, kissing her hard. She thought it would be unpleasant, she always thought that. These terrible people who did terrible things. But it wasn’t. It was… powerful, passionate, skilled, warm. Dare she even say caring? 

Le Roux had waited, rather patiently, for her to indicate this is what she wanted. She felt his frustration as his lips bruised against hers, his want as his hands gripped her neck and waist. His tongue was silky and probing against her own and she brought her arms around his neck.

Le Roux pulled her even closer against him. Hermione felt heat pooling in her. It had actually been a couple weeks since Jason and she had been constantly denied Malfoy. Her need came on quickly, searching release. 

Le Roux was older, certainly. But near-fifty was not very old for a wizard. And he was a great kisser, he’d clearly had a lot of practice. Now that she had reciprocated his touch, he was less demanding, taking his time and sensually exploring her. 

His hands wandered but he didn’t go for areas that a younger man would gravitate towards. Instead, he traced along her clavicle and along her inner arms. He pressed a spot in the left side of her lower back, and she gasped then moaned into him, a spike of pleasure shooting through her. Her face fell into the crook of Le Roux’s neck as he used the heel of his palm to massage the area where her sacral nerves were, and her knees buckled as exquisite waves pulsed through her.

This man knew an awful lot about pleasure. She hadn’t even known about the erogenous zone in her back until the tricksy little incubus in Turkmenistan had taught her. She looked at him with wide eyes pulling back.

His eyes were dark with heat and he looked confident, knowing exactly what he was doing to her. 

She couldn’t even find words. She’d known he would be an attentive and playful lover, but auras didn’t give level of detail like this. She was… she was… flabbergasted seemed the only correct word.

Le Roux stepped away towards the bed and turned back to her, extending a hand. An invitation not a command, he knew better than to do that.

She took it gently and her feet walked so she was beside him. They were silent, not needing words. He slid his hand to her upper arm gently. He raised an eyebrow, asking permission to position her. Hermione nodded.

Le Roux drew her over to the bed and sat her down, pressing her into the mattress and kissing her again. Slowly, savouring it.

He removed his lips and Hermione sighed from the loss of contact. Le Roux bent and brought an arm under her knees, swivelling her to lie lengthways down the bed. Hermione watched, thrumming with anticipation as Le Roux kneeled on the bed hovering over her. He leaned down to kiss her again and as he dragged his tongue over the roof of her mouth delicately, she wanted to escalate the evening, but she refrained. There were dances of purple sparks coming off his aura. He had something specific in mind.

“Felicia,” the word twirled between them soft and fae-like. “I have not yet earned the privilege of sharing my queen’s bed, and I will continue to honour that until you deem me worthy. Tonight, I am just a loyal subject serving my monarch the best way I know how.”

Hermione nodded and he kissed her again. It was reverential and tender as if he were worshipping her. His leg hooked her outer one and he curled his hand in the crook of her elbow. Pulling away gradually from her lips they looked into each other’s eyes as Le Roux carefully used the tangled limbs to pull her more towards the centre of the bed, sliding away from her as he did so. He extracted his hand first, then his leg and deliberately and conscientiously lay her on her stomach.

She turned her head to watch him and he gathered her long black hair and tied it into itself in a surprisingly secure knot. He brought his hands to touch the zipper at the top of the dress and waited for her to grant permission. Hermione nodded.

He slipped the zip down the teeth and when it reached past the small of her back, he slipped the fabric off her shoulders and rolled the dress down her sides. Then he lifted the hem of the dress and folded it to the middle of her thighs. Hermione bit her lip. Oddly this felt more intimate than if she had been naked. 

Le Roux stroked a finger down her spine and looked to her for confirmation again. 

“Yes, Eddie.” she breathed.

Keeping light fingers on her back, Le Roux brought his face to the underside of her right knee, massaging the spot with his tongue. Another zing of sparkling energy rushed through Hermione and she gasped. She understood now. He wanted to focus on her pleasure, but in a way he was sure she hadn’t experienced before. She prickled with the promise of what was going to come.

He continued his movement, his free hand grasping a foot, massaging the arch. The other hand swirling light patterns on her lower back, teasing her. 

He was igniting places on Hermione that if she were honest had never been properly explored even by herself. It felt new and exciting and she found she was really turned on. Right now, she wasn’t even thinking about the mission or ingratiating herself further into Le Roux’s life. Just the electricity her nerves vibrated through her as Le Roux kissed and laved the back of her knee.

The feelings that were being pulled through her tripped right to her scalp and the tingling was so intense it felt like her hair was trying to escape her body. Her desire was palpably thick now and she reined in her aura a little so he wouldn’t be breathing it in at an addictive potency.

The way his fingers were trilling over her back had her desperate for that firm touch he’d used earlier, and she shifted a little trying to get him back there. She felt him smile at her knee bend.

“Are you alright darling Felicia?” he hummed against her and she twitched in pleasure with a small moan.

He raised himself enough to look at her and her eyes sparkled dangerously at him. 

She raised both her feet and cupped them together with an opening between them.

“Eddie. Take your cock out and maneuver my feet how you like. Then find that spot you did before. Now.”

She injected a little bit of quiet force into her voice and his ragged breath and darkened gaze showed how much he revelled in it.

He unbuckled himself and she watched as he removed himself from the confines of his trousers. She had moved her shoulder in a way that she hoped spared Theo the full display. Le Roux’s breathing was rapid and she felt his cock twitch against her ankles a few times. He experimented with the placement, groaning in pleasure each time her feet touched his cock until he found a position he liked where he could still reach her back.

Hermione cast a Sticking charm so her feet wouldn’t be undone and licked the corner of her mouth. Le Roux growled and began moving. It certainly felt weird fucking someone with just her feet but then Le Roux started massaging that spot on her back and made her forget everything. 

She could feel it moving _through_ her body. In a way she had never experienced before. It started dermally. Usually her orgasm started inside, a clenching below that fluttered outwards. This was the opposite, a spike of pleasure delving inwards, before radiating out, making her moan in a way that was all Hermione with no Felicia to be seen. The pitch was higher, the timbre less raspy. It was so raw and real she cursed in English and French. 

“ _J’aime ça, mon chou,_ ” Le Roux panted in response, whispering it like a prayer in many iterations again and again.

Le Roux kept his hands upon her and Hermione writhed underneath him, crying, “Ohgodohgodohgodohgod,” as the unfamiliar sensation rippled through her, growing stronger from such a specific location. It was almost too much, it was definitely not quite enough, she was desperate to know what it would be like to tumble over the edge with just this. She desperately wanted to be fucked while feeling this, too.

An unbidden image of Draco caressing her, massaging one cluster of nerves at her back and another in front while he kissed her neck and bit her earlobes swam up and she let out a wild scream as she toppled into a little death. The orgasm seemed to come from both her sacral nerves and her brain was the sensation warred with each other for dominance, making her whimper and moan as wave after wave cascaded up and down her. 

Her spasming caused her feet to clamp harder around Le Roux but she was only vaguely aware as he hurried his motions before crying out Felicia’s name and spurting over her back and his own hand.

“ _Mon petit chou, merci, merci, merci,_ he repeated over and over, raising her up to kiss her, but she could barely respond. She felt like she would need to regrow all her bones and she was still twitching as the last of the orgasm ebbed away.

Everything was a bit of a daze after that. Le Roux seemed ridiculously happy, showering her with compliments and affection as he cleaned her with a washcloth and warm water before rezipping her dress. He kissed all over her face, asking bashfully if she would stay the night and she had a partial memory of shaking her head. He let her go but had pulled her in for one last devastating kiss before he closed the door behind him and let her walk back to the room.

Or attempt to walk back, she was leaning heavily on the wall for support, heels in her hands. Why had she turned down Le Roux’s offer to walk her back? Oh right, because she was worried she might want to do that again and force Draco to hear it.

Her eyes shuttered closed and she bumped into a table, falling to the floor. A door opened in front of her.

“Felicia?” Draco crouched down to her and suddenly it was all too much.

“Don’t. Please. Don’t.” She cringed. She was still Hermione, she couldn’t get Felicia back out right now. She didn’t want Draco to see this or be near him. And she definitely didn’t want to be touched by him.

He was just kneeling near her, waiting. The small glance she sneaked showed he looked concerned and angry.

“It’s not- he didn’t hurt me,” she whispered, and she grimaced. Still herself, she swallowed and attempted to behave more like Felicia. “Cousin, I can get to my room just fine, thank you.” Her voice was clipped and tight but haughty like Felicia usually was. She attempted to rise and faltered again, being steadied by Draco.

No. Not Draco. Malfoy. Or was it supposed to be Draco now? She couldn’t remember as her muscles quaked again.

He put an arm around her and got her hobbling form to her door at the end of the hall.

“This is why you’re a Lestrange and not a Malfoy,” he joked.

She still wasn’t even the former just yet. She was having a difficult time maintaining the character.

Malfoy managed to get her to the bed and she rolled onto her back staring at the ceiling.

“Are you OK?” Draco’s dark form stood still. They hadn’t turned on any lights and she didn’t want to. She didn’t want to be able to see him clearly. His fingers twitched where they lay by her side as they tried to betray her confidence and resilience to reach out to him. To be consumed by him the way she wanted to be.

“I’m fine… Please don’t read anything into this, but you need to leave, cousin.” She tried hard to reach for Felicia but it still mostly sounded like herself.

“Alright, Felicia. Sleep well,” and to his credit he left without saying or doing anything else.

She heard through the grate that Dra- Malfoy had returned to his own room and she heard the creak of his bed as he resettled in it.

She waited until she heard the occasional snuffle of deep sleep then checked the room again for listening wards and auras before starting to talk softly.

“Theo? I know you are probably so done after all you’ve had to witness today, but this is why you get paid the big Galleons now. To listen to me when I need it.” She sighed, a tear leaking out. Her voice warbling. “I’m scared. He made me be me. I wasn’t Felicia before, I was me. And I didn’t care. And I just had one of the most mindblowing orgasms of my life and we didn’t even fuck. No arse, no tits, no cunt, just my back. Well, and my feet. He’s obsessed with my feet. But... it was Draco I thought of. And-”

She choked. She’d been disassociating Le Roux from what he had done, what his syndicate had done. She remembered Justin in the hospital and swallowed down a mouthful of bile. She’d just let herself receive pleasure from that monster. “Oh my God. Justin, all those people. Everyone he’s hurt. Oh God.” She couldn’t breathe properly; her heart was beating erratically. 

This happened sometimes during these missions, it was so much easier on her own. She’d freak out for a little bit then pull herself together. But now with a team behind her she felt like she was failing them. She fumbled for her wand, but two lights were travelling up her arm and sparks exited out of her fingers. Black spots prickled her vision as she struggled to take a breath.

Then Malfoy was in front of her. 

The two lights floated to him and sunk into his palm. Hermione tried to make sense of it.

“Felicia, you need to breathe. Slowly.” 

Oh God, she was screwing it all up. She had even reverted to Muggle exclamations. Draco grabbed her hand, she moved her fingers, so they gripped the inside of his wrist, placing pressure on his pulse. She closed her eyes and shakily inhaled and exhaled in time to his steady heartbeat. He had sat on the edge of the bed, probably looking at her in concern. She took a minute but was able to even out.

“Theo, keep a close eye on me tomorrow. If I act too out of character initiate the emergency sequence. I can’t ruin this when we are so close. I trust you. Get some sleep,” she whispered the remarks, cupping her ear to make sure he heard.

She finally looked at Draco, releasing her grip on him. “I’m sorry for disturbing your slumber, cousin.” It sounded much more like Felicia this time.

Malfoy was quiet. It was too dark to properly discern how he looked. She didn’t trust herself to use her aura at the moment, she didn’t trust her control.

“Are you struggling with ceding control, Felicia?” 

“In a manner of speaking,” she paused. “Did you absorb some of my magic just before?”

He shook his head. “It was always mine, you took it when I tried to rouse you before dinner. When you released it there was a pull, like a string tugging at me.”

“I took your magic?” 

He nodded. “It was odd, but I thought it was another trick you may have picked up somewhere on your travels.”

Hermione had heard of such things in India and she’d read the theory of it, but it was a very intimate act similar to the tantric meditation she’d learned. She had never attempted it before, and she wasn’t sure how she’d accomplished it without fully focusing on the task.

“That’s not something I’ve ever done before. I didn’t know I was capable,” she flickered her eyes across the ceiling trying to figure it out. “I’m very sorry it happened without asking your explicit permission.”

They sat in silence, but it was peaceful, he wasn’t angry. There were so many things she wished she could say but she was done making him uncomfortable. She needed to respect his decision to stop seeing her.

“You appear to be well now Felicia, I’ll let you rest.”

“You have been most gracious cousin. Good night,” he paused in the door as if he wanted to say something else but changed his mind and shut the door quietly.

Hermione locked the door, cast some charms to remove her makeup and clean her teeth. She transfigured her clothing into a nightgown and pulled the coverlet over her. 

She stared above her. An iron tension forming in her gut. She was determined to do better, she would push it all behind her walls, the crimes Le Roux had committed, Justin and Sy, everything with Draco. She’d focus fully on being Felicia and make herself indispensable to Le Roux. They would get what they needed to put him away. They had to. She had to. 

The cold, arrogant mantle of Felicia settled over her and she felt a purr of assurance. Tomorrow would be very different indeed. She was sure of it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone! Thank you so much for reading. I have sadly caught up to where I have pre-written. My updates may become a little slower but they will still come. 
> 
> I have the other chapters mostly planned out and am working on some fun tie-ins to the story and it is still a priority but work is kicking my ass lately.
> 
> Thank you for your patience and understanding!

**Author's Note:**

> So I started this story so long ago when I was really depressed. I have reworked it, but it is still very self-indulgent, for that I apologise. But in the year of 2020 I think we've all needed a little self-indulgence.
> 
> The POV changes between Hermione and Draco quite often and a suspension of belief is encouraged.
> 
> Thank you for reading.


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